Adventures With Purpose founder Jared Leisek update as court rape case thrown after YouTubers illegally film hearing
UTAH'S criminal rape case against Adventures With Purpose founder Jared Leisek has been abruptly canceled because YouTubers streamed the proceedings live, which is against state law.
The judge ordered an immediate stop to all of Wednesday's court appearances, including the one against Leisek, who was accused of sexually abusing a female relative in Utah in 1992 when she was between nine and 10 years old, according to court documents.
The victim, who wished to remain anonymous, told The US Sun that she's concerned if people continue to stream the case or if viewers click on the links, it will adversely impact her case and the other cases on the docket.
"It was unfortunate that people could not conduct themselves in a proper manner during the court proceedings," she said.
"It was not just the case against Jared, there were so many other people there waiting for their own justice."
The case was pushed back to a later date.
Right now, it's unclear if Wednesday's live streaming will impact the cases. The victim said she is waiting to hear from the prosecutor.
ADVENTURES WITH A PURPOSE
CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST JARED LEIESK
Leiesk, who founded the Oregon-based volunteer dive team Adventures with a Purpose, was charged with two counts of rape of child in Utah at the beginning of November.
He told his alleged victim that he had "made peace in my life with all things bad including this" in a series of leaked emails that were obtained by The U.S. Sun.
Leiesk blamed his family's twisted history and Mormonism for his alleged actions in the emails, which were sent from the official Adventures with a Purpose email account and signed "Jared."
"I am so very sorry for the things that we cannot change," Leisek allegedly wrote in the first line of the email exchange.
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"It is unfortunate that the Leisek and Juhasz lineage experienced the s**t that you, I and many of the other cousins were brought into.
"Like yourself, I was once a victim by multiple people both in and out of the family. It is unfortunate when families like ours experience molestation."
He went on to write: "I have myself tried to apologize to you and to have an open conversation with you about it to answer any questions you may have.
"The first time that I apologized to you, I am sorry for the way that it was handled for I was under the impression that your mother knew and that I felt it was appropriate at that time to have the conversation with both of you."
Leiesk hasn't returned any of The U.S. Sun's requests for comment.
AWP'S ACCOLADES AND SWIFT FALLOUT
AWP made national headlines in August when they found missing teen Kiely Rodni's remains following her mysterious disappearance after a party in the woods near a campsite in Truckee, California.
Initial law enforcement searches missed Rodni's car and body in the water before AWP made the crucial discovery that was pivotal in Rodni's case.
In September, social media began questioning where Leisek was in after he wasn't seen during the group's major breakthrough in Rodni's case.
Over the course of the week, members have announced their resignations in video statements on YouTube, and other groups have said they won't work with AWP because of the allegations.
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Many now-former AWP members said they were blindsided by the accusations but couldn't get into details because they signed confidentiality agreements.
Since the volunteer diving group's inception in 2019, AWP has helped solve at least 23 missing person cases, some involving children, which they documented on their successful YouTube channel.
