INDIANAPOLIS — A social-media video of the director at the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) touting a Lebanon faith-based program for troubled teens as “safe” is raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
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In the November 2025 video posted on the Refuge Girls Academy’s Facebook video, DCS director Adam Krupp is seated at his desk at the Indiana Department of Child Services.
“I want to encourage everyone to come out Saturday night, 6 o’clock, to support the Refuge, part of the teen challenge program where putting hope within reach for teenage girls is part of a safe, faith-based residential program exists right here in the community” said Krupp in the video. “Can’t wait to see everybody Saturday as we share more about the mission, the need right here in Boone County and talk about ways you can help.”
Nine women filed a federal lawsuit on April 8 against Central Indiana Teen Challenge, which is currently operating under the name The Refuge Girls Academy.
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The lawsuit alleges “systemic abuse, neglect, trafficking, exploitation, and forced labor” at the facility between 2011 and 2018.
According to the lawsuit, the women allege they were forced to work at fundraising events and give personal testimonials at rallies to raise funds.
WRTV Investigates shared the video with Julia Vaughn, executive director at Common Cause Indiana, a grassroots nonpartisan lobbying organization that promotes open and honest government.
“It’s not appropriate. It is a conflict of interest when you are vouching for an entity that you have oversight of,” said Vaughn.“I think it is inappropriate for the director of any state agency to offer a personal or professional endorsement of any organization that they have oversight on.”
Indiana DCS is tasked with investigating abuse and neglect of children.
Because of state law, WRTV Investigates can’t find out if DCS has conducted any child abuse or neglect investigations at the Refuge Girls Academy or Central Indiana Teen Challenge.
The newly filed lawsuit claims between 2011 and 2018, teens were abused, neglected, sent to isolation rooms for long periods of time and forced into labor including fundraising.
“This video was for a fundraiser so not only is he giving a seal of approval, but he's also helping this agency raise money,” said Vaughn. “So again, it's just very much a too close for comfort relationship.”
The Refuge Girls Academy posted the video in November 2025, months before the abuse claims came to light publicly.
The Facebook video showed Krupp in an official capacity using the DCS state logo.
“Clearly it damages the credibility of the agency,” said Vaughn. “The way to avoid this altogether would have simply been to decline the invitation to participate in this fundraiser, to go on Facebook and really vouch for this service provider.”
Vaughn said Krupp’s support for the program could also probably impact the credibility of any future investigations conducted by DCS at the Lebanon program.
“Any investigation would be called into question when you have the head of the state agency that’s in charge of investigating sort of offering his seal of approval,” said Vaughn. “It’s not appropriate.”
Vaughn said she considers Krupp’s public endorsement of the faith-based program to be unethical.
“I think if we had stronger ethics laws here in Indiana, we could say yes absolutely this is a conflict of interest under the law,” said Vaughn. “I don’t think have those high standards here, but it just doesn’t look right.”
WRTV Investigates also checked with several state agencies, including the Indiana Department of Health and the Family and Social Services Administration.
Both IDOH and FSSA said they have no oversight or authority over this faith-based program.
Adam Krupp has been on leave of absence since January 2026, so WRTV Investigates has been unable to speak with Krupp about the video.
WRTV Investigates has contacted DCS several times since April 14 asking for a response.
We’ve asked how Krupp determined the program was safe, why he made the video and if he has made similar videos for other faith-based programs.
We are waiting on a response.
A DCS spokesperson did confirm the agency did not share the video on its social media channels. The agency also confirmed the facility was not licensed by DCS, and that it is not required because of its religious affiliation.
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WRTV Investigates sent an email to the facility and left a voicemail, which currently has an outgoing message as “Central Indiana Teen Challenge.”
Their attorney, Jeffrey Roberts, provided the following statement to WRTV Investigates:
“There are countless endorsements of Refuge’s programs from those who understand and have experience with these programs, including so many Refuge graduates. This speaks volumes; in our view, certainly more so than a lawsuit with misleading and inconsistent allegations seeking money damages filed by a scant few individuals a decade after the fact.”
Roberts also said the social-media video has nothing to do with recent events nor the lawsuit.
Haven Murdock told WRTV Investigates the staff forced them to eat moldy, outdated food.
“We had to finish our entire plate, regardless if we were sick or not, within 20 minutes,” said Murdock. “Girls would often be shoveling their face with food and then puking in the trash can.”
She said she was only allowed to have limited communication with her family.
“I can count on one hand the number of times I was able to see my family throughout the three years,” said Murdock.
The lawsuit alleges the staff listened in on phone calls.
“If we tried to tell our family about how we were being treated there, we would be punished even more or demoted which would extend our stay,” said Murdock.
The lawsuit said Murdock and other girls were subjected to pelvic exams prior to their arrival to check for pregnancy and STDs.
Murdock said she was only 13 years old when she had a pelvic exam.
“I cried the whole time,” said Murdock. “I didn't know I was being sent to this place so I didn't really know why I had to do it. I did not want to do it. I made that very clear."
She said the worst part of the program was the isolation room.
“You're just supposed to sit there in this empty room as they watch you on a camera and watch you do nothing but stare at the wall,” said Murdock. “The longest I was in there was a month. It was horrible. It was humiliating.”
Murdock said she didn’t report the alleged abuse to anyone because she didn’t think anyone would believe her.
“We were told and our parents were told that we were troubled girls so of course we were going to lie,” said Murdock. “Nothing we say should be believable. If we tried to tell our family about how we were being treated, then we were punished even more or demoted which would extend our stay.”
Attorney Jeffrey Roberts, provided the following statement to WRTV Investigates, regarding the lawsuit:
"The Refuge Girls Academy, like the other facilities in the Indiana Adult and Teen Challenge family, has a long history of achieving positive, life-changing, and, in many instances, life-saving results for countless individuals who have participated in its treatment programs, as so many of them would attest. This mission and the dedication to helping individuals recover from addiction and life-controlling behaviors will not be daunted by law firms using the media to scour the country for opportunistic claims to bring against “troubled teen industry” organizations. The new lawsuit purports to arise from events dating back, in most alleged instances, well over a decade. The lawsuit equates the Lebanon, Indiana, faith-based addiction treatment, chosen for these plaintiffs by their parents or guardians, to human trafficking and criminal “conspiracy,” all to save claims that we believe would otherwise be summarily dismissible by the court. The complaint is comprised of allegations that are unproven and unverified. Even once we review the complaint in detail, we would prefer not to litigate this case in the media. Our client will file a response to these allegations with the court as the rules allow and intends to aggressively defend itself against the claims."
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