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Toms River military academy cancels summer camp as leader faces child-pornography charges
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TOMS RIVER - A military-themed youth academy canceled its summer camp Friday after its leader was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
The announcement of the closing caught 120 campers and their parents offguard and raised concerns that some children could arrive at the region's airports without adult supervision.
The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday arrested and charged Steven T. Baryla, 27, with possession and distribution of child pornography. Baryla, of Toms River, is president of Cedar Bridge Military Academy, which planned to begin summer camp for children July 11 at Fort Tuckahoe in Dillsburg, Pa.
Parents used the academy's Internet forum Tuesday to ask questions about what their children should pack for the four-week camp. By Wednesday, the tone of the conversation had shifted dramatically as parents scrambled for information about the arrest and the camp's future.
Parents were mortified to learn a summer camp boasting a code of "duty, honor and country" was headed by a man now facing child-pornography charges. The camp notified parents about the closing through its forum and by e-mail Friday.
"As you may have seen in the news, (First Sergeant) Baryla has come under some bad light," the unidentified forum administrator wrote. "While the charges brought forward had nothing to do with Cedar Bridge, the press has made CMA and 1SG (first sergeant) the same thing. Due to all the negative light being brought on Cedar Bridge, the adult staff is unable to ensure the safety of all the campers, as the academy has lost some adults due to the perception."
According to one parent and posts on the forum, the camp erased some parents' questions and postings, making it harder for them to get information.
The camp charged $2,250 for basic cadet training and $2,350 for advanced training at its co-ed camp.
"People paid thousands of dollars in tuition. There was a list of supplies the kids needed. Cedar Bridge is not being helpful at all," said Kathleen Loughran, a Lakewood, Ocean County, parent of two children - 13 and 14 years old - who were planning to attend camp this year.
Parents also had to buy camping supplies specific even to the color of the toothbrush the campers could use.
Loughran said her children had nothing but good things to say about a Warrior Weekend program they attended through Cedar Bridge. They played paintball and learned to march in platoons.
"It was a very positive experience for them. I'm sorry they're going to miss out on the summer camp," she said.
Another camper, Dean O'Neill, 17, flew to New Jersey last month from Drogheda, Ireland.
"My whole life I wanted to join the U.S. Army. I sold off my Xbox to raise money to come over. It was something I wanted to do," he said by phone from his uncle's home in Teaneck, Bergen County.
O'Neill, who is the equivalent of a junior in high school, said he wants to become an American citizen. He planned to use the military academy as a proving ground to see if he wanted to dedicate four years of his life to the Army.
"I wanted to see if I could hack it - if this was something I really wanted to do," he said.
He arrived at his uncle's home a couple of weeks early so he could acclimate to New Jersey's hotter weather before starting the physically grueling summer camp. Cadets undergo physical training and perfom military-style exercises. But now he and other campers do not know how they will spend their summers.
O'Neill is not the only camper coming from abroad, either.
Todd Dzurny and his son, both Americans, flew in from their home in Panama. Dzurny did not want his son's name published.
"We organized the entire year around the camp and the military ball they have at the end of the summer," he said. "We're really disappointed."
Dzurny said he initially thought the camp's problems were financial until he read news accounts of Baryla's arrest.
"I wish it had been a financial reason and not what it seems to be. It takes away from the moral foundation you're trying to build in your own children," he said.
Many parents never met the camp's personnel in person, relying instead on communication by e-mail or phone.
Nobody answered the phone Friday at the academy's office in Toms River.
Parents would never know the academy employed just a handful of full-time staff based on its professional and extensive Web site, which features testimonials, an introductory video and listings for a Garrison Headquarters and an Office of Admissions.
"It was such a mom-and-pop operation," Loughran said. "It appeared so well-structured with a chain of command. But once Baryla was taken out of the picture, everything fell apart."
One employee, the Rev. Donald Zabroski Jr., said he resigned Tuesday after meeting with Baryla and other academy staff.
"I'm in ministry. I work at churches. I work with youth. I have to disassociate myself from something like this," he said. "These are hefty charges, not something light. I was interviewed by prosecutors on Monday, and I'm shocked."
The academy characterizes itself as a faith-based organization that holds Christian services every Sunday. But its enrollment was open to any religion. The camp recently hosted children from Hong Kong, Singapore and even Saudi Arabia, Zabroski said.
He served on the academy's board of directors and volunteered with the academy for the past three years. Zabroski said the academy attracted go-getters, not juvenile delinquents.
"They're average teenagers. They're not troubled kids. We don't accept any kids with a record," he said.
Zabroski said reopening the camp under a new name and new management would be untenable.
Investigators searched the academy's offices in Toms River and found evidence of child pornography there.
Zabroski said as far as he knows, nobody else had access to Baryla's computer.
"No one else is allowed on his computer. His door is locked when he is not there," Zabroski said.
Baryla's lawyer, David T. Schlendorf of Toms River, said his client maintains his innocence. Schlendorf said the camp had made arrangements for the safe return of any children who are coming from international destinations.
Posted in Ocean, Top_three on Friday, July 3, 2009 6:35 pm Updated: 8:35 pm.
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