The only way Kent Hovind gets attention now


Kent Hovind still exists! He was kicked off YouTube (sort of: he’s still there under the ‘Genesis Baptist Church’ channel, and his main outlet seems to be Rumble), but he persists in a diminished fashion. Here’s a neat summary of his status:

Hovind, who spent nine years in prison for tax avoidance, runs the DAL park in Repton, Alabama. The park is advertised as family-friendly, featuring playgrounds, animals, and a “science center” that claims that humans and dinosaurs shared the earth mere thousands of years ago. Former DAL workers, some of whom lived at the park, have accused Hovind of enabling a culture of impunity for Jones and for other close friends, who allegedly abused drugs, stole money, and killed a dog on or near DAL property. Hovind was also convicted of domestic violence in 2021—a ruling he is appealing.

Yes, that’s Kent, reduced to running a low-rent cult for rednecks, and fishing for rubes on the internet.

The latest development is that his good buddy Chris has been arrested for child abuse.

Christopher Link Jones, 55, was arrested late last month in Aiken, South Carolina, the Aiken Standard first reported. An arrest warrant shows Jones charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 14. Jones was previously convicted of battery and lewd acts on children in California.

Jones’ California criminal record created rifts at Dinosaur Adventure Land, a creationist theme park where Jones is friends with head preacher Kent Hovind, and where Jones has been accused of sexually abusing a boy. Hovind and Jones have blamed the previous conviction on a plot to silence Jones for what he claims was his work with Infowars founder Alex Jones.

In an interesting example of wishful thinking and projection, Kent is still defending him.

Reached by phone about Jones’ latest arrest, Hovind said it was not feasible to perform background checks on all DAL visitors. Even so, he said. “I would doubt he’s guilty.”

But Hovind doesn’t need to perform a background check; he’s already aware of Jones’ past conviction.

“Well even that doesn’t mean you’re guilty,” Hovind said. “How many people, later, convictions get overturned? Thousands of them. Sometimes 20 years, 50 years later.”

Just like you’ve deluded yourself into thinking your conviction for tax fraud will be overturned? Face it, Kent, you were guilty, guilty, guilty, and Christopher Jones, your good friend, is a sleazy child molester.

Comments

  1. says

    I would not at all be surprised if I ever discover that AiG’s Dumb Idiot Ham does the exact same thing Hovind does: allow atrocities to happen, knew about it, do nothing about it, just because he approves them.

  2. birgerjohansson says

    I am a forriner so I keep confusing Hovind with the Ark grifter from Australia.
    Their arguments certainly do not differ much, they are like a grey horde of… I’m not sure. Something boring.

  3. birgerjohansson says

    Addendum. Elmer Gantry at least was a character. Mostly bad character, but there was no risk of confusing him with some other huckster.

  4. birgerjohansson says

    Fishing for rubes on the internet can be profitable. Hovind has just not chosen a very profitable grift. Or he is unable to mimic …whatever it is that believable grifters have.

  5. Larry says

    birgerjohansson@#6

    That’s the beauty of the grifter’s game. Yes, you are going to have some losses at the start but, you keep on throwing out slop, eventually, the hogs will come. They want to be taken but they need the right motivation.

  6. says

    I have no tolerance for people who would lecture me on morality all the while sporting what I have to consider as extensive criminal records. I have somehow made it to retirement age without ever being charged with a crime, yet this preacher did nine years for tax avoision (it is so a word; I saw it on The Simpsons) and has a conviction for domestic violence?
    Yeah, tell me again how much I need Jesus.

  7. Ada Christine says

    @feralboy12 #8

    it’s the same with the groomer panic. people perpetuating this belief that lgbtq+ people are universally dangerous to children keep showing up as being close to or are themselves sex criminals. i know the “every accusation a confession” thing is a bit of a trope, but it keeps happening.

  8. birgerjohansson says

    Yup. If a headline starts “anti-gay preacher accused of…” you know the rest of the article will be about people he has molested.

  9. wzrd1 says

    Given the extensive support, I simply wonder just what Chris has on Kent. It’s gotta be juicy, multiple felony level juicy.

  10. says

    OT – Awhile back, I made a comment here and posted a link to another site related to what’s being posted here and I couldn’t find it anywhere here. Has anyone else have problems with posting comments with links on this site?

  11. Pierce R. Butler says

    birgerjohansson @ # 10: If a headline starts “anti-gay preacher accused of…” you know the rest of the article will be about people he has molested.

    If you follow the “Black Collar Crime” feature in the Freedom From Religion Foundation newsletter (alas, they don’t post it on their website), you’ll expect a small chance such a story will involve embezzlement or drunk driving; for a while, they also had a surge in COVID-19 limitation violations.

    Owosso Harpist @ # 12 – My only problems with posting links on FtB have come from using too many – some hosts here allow up to four, others limit you to two.

  12. kurupt says

    When I debated Rocky Kent a couple of weeks ago I asked how he was dating as Chris Jones had been arrested.

    Interestingly he didn’t mention the arrest but only said Chris Jones wasn’t “his best friend”.

    Unfortunately the moderator shut me down but I still had a lot of fun throwing jabs at Rocky kent. 😂

  13. Louis says

    You know, if a friend of mine was convicted of being a child rapist, and was credibly accused a couple more times of being a child rapist, I’d definitely stand by him.

    No. Wait. Definitely NOT stand by him. And call the police to have the fucker taken away. Phew. That was a really tricky moral question. I had to really think about that.

    [This post contains sarcasm.]

    Louis

  14. vereverum says

    Ham & Hovind, sounds like a deep south breakfast entree.

    by the way Hovind is not in the freethought spelling checker
    is that on purpose?

  15. Pierce R. Butler says

    Owosso Harpist @ # 14: It’s to control spam.

    According to a personal conversation I had with (FFRF Co-President) Dan Barker, it’s to control lawsuits (even though they cite source and date for each item, apparently they almost got nailed once when the source had it wrong).

  16. Jarred Harris says

    Whatever happened to his appeal of his DV conviction, anyway? Last I heard was back in December when he was supposed to have a court appearance for it, but never heard what the outcome of that appearance was or what happened since.