Kriti Mehrotra
While it’s true Robert Aaron Rudd attended Bethel Boys Academy right alongside Dave Bowsher as well as Allen Knoll for a while, his experiences at the establishment were both similar yet not. After all, as explored in HBO Max’s ‘Teen Torture, Inc.,’ this troubled teen industry (TTI) institution used what it calls “tough love” as a form of treatment for youths despite several claims of abuse.
Robert Aaron Rudd’s Time at Bethel Did Him More Harm Than Good
Robert Aaron Rudd was merely a young boy when he was sent to attend Bethel University owing to a few behavioral issues, unaware what he would face there would be just physical and emotional abuse. According to his own narrative, he was often beaten for the simplest of reasons, including cracking his fellow “students” backs after a long, hard day or trying to just support them.
The worst of it, though, Robert claims, was received by members of the LGBTQ+ community because violence and prayers were deemed a part of conversion therapy, which he witnessed firsthand owing to his bunkmate. “He got beat,” he said in the production. “It was like ‘Full Metal Jacket.’ It was all ‘pray the gay away.’ But imagine it; feet in the mud, being kicked by a big guy, calling you a homo, forcing you to grab an electric fence. It’s a new level of broken.” As if that’s not enough, even he faced such remarks, alleging one of the counselors once threw him under a desk and hurt him while calling him a “f*****” the entire time.
Robert actually managed to get out of Bethel at the age of 14, but by that point he apparently has little sense of true responsibility, stability, or morality in his life. Therefore, when he got his high school girlfriend pregnant at the age of 16, he admittedly ran away and spent the ensuing 12 years of his life in and out of prison for seemingly petty crimes. His partner, hence, filed for divorce plus full custody, and he hasn’t since gotten the courage to knock on their door because he’s genuinely afraid to be the kind of lacking parent his own were.
Robert Aaron Rudd is a Family Man
Despite the fears Robert shared in the aforementioned original, it appears as if he has since been doing the work to internally heal from the past and his experiences to finally start living his life. He prefers to stay well away from the limelight these days, but it does appear as if he has since tried to and succeeded in reconnecting with his children in the way they deserve and is truly attempting to be there for them no matter what. Furthermore, from what we can tell, this De Luz, California, resident is now a happily married man – he tied the knot with his ride or die, aka the love of his life, Kristen Spears Rud, on December 31, 2016.
Kristen is actually a former Transformative Birth Midwife from Temecula, California, who has since evolved into the founder of Mermaid Movement (MM) experiences, MM Women’s Wellness, Spiritual Summer Camp, as well as MM Publication. In other words, she’s quite a spiritual and open-minded woman, and it has arguably been his influence on his life that has since helped him expand his wings and be a lot more optimistic, too. Coming to Robert’s professional standing, he’s a fitness, mobility, and strength enthusiast, indicating he has gradually been trying to make a name for himself in the world of health and fitness. Honestly, we can’t wait to see where life leads him next.
Read More: Allen Knoll: Where is the Bethel Boys Academy Survivor Now?
