A cryptic post on Facebook has resulted in a firestorm of speculation about a former Girl Scout campground called Camp Wakatomika that was sold to a tax-exempt charitable group called Prestige Solutions.
“A Muslim group. Heavily armed. Bought 300+ acres, an old girl scout camp, in the area of Licking, Knox, Coshocton County lines," Bob Peters alleged in his post on the Stand United Ohio Facebook page. "This is confirmed.” The group's staff allegedly includes Prestige Solutions President and Founder Asheer Tashfeen and his father, Ashfaq Tashfeen.
Reactions to Peters' original post ranged from panic to speculation to even humorous.
“Does anyone have a drone to see what is in there?” Nickie Callis commented.
“PLUM SCARY,” Karen Ashcraft said.
“I'm sure between the three surrounding counties they'e still outnumbered and outgunned," Louis Grinstead posted.
“How was the ‘Heavily armed’ part confirmed?" Belinda Whitmer Hughes responded. "That’s super close to my house.”
Licking County Auditor Michael Smith confirmed the property at 15189 Girl Scout Road was purchased for $1 million on June 9, 2020, by Prestige Solutions,which oversees three charter schools in Columbus. The schools are Zenith Acadamy, located at 4606 Heaton Road, Zenith Academy East at 2261 South Hamilton Road and Zenith Academy West at 3385 South Blvd. Licking County Commissioners denied having information about the sale of the property.
The principal of Zenith Academy East, Tina Bennett, declined to comment when reached by phone and Asheer Tashfeen, the superintendent, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Zenith and Prestige are both registered to the same address at 8210 Havens Road in Blacklick, Ohio. Midge Webb, Facebook follower of the page, told Mount Vernon News that the new owners are not heavily armed.
"From what I've been told by people who have been there firsthand is that the new owners are rehabbing the property..not being heavily armed, and they are very nice," Webb told the News in an interview. "That being said, with all the fear ... being thrown around, the neighbors in the area are going to stay alert and report if anything looks suspect."
“This is from someone who personally met the new owners...," Webb said on Facebook. "This is not true, guys. I worked at the camp for 30 years and when it was for sale, I started a nonprofit to try to buy it. When it sold, I contacted the new owners. They invited me out for a tour and to ask me questions about the camp. I have been there and talked to the people who bought it. They are very nice people and they are fixing up the camp beautifully.
"You may not know it, but there's three lodges, 10 cabins, a swimming pool all in ruin, but they are fixing everything. They are putting a lot of money into (it) and they are planning to fence off the entrances to the main camp to protect the kids. The Girl Scouts should have done this years ago. They are putting in chemical toilets instead of latrines, burying exposed water lines, adding internet access, surveillance cameras and closing the entrances to the camp. All things that should have already been done.
"You're going to be able to rent the place for huge family reunions and such; they may even open the pool to the public. This is a good thing for the area. There's nothing to be scared of. I've been there. They just want to be able to offer outdoor education to some poor kids from Columbus. It's the same thing we would have done with it if we had bought it.”
“There is a huge Somali population in Columbus, concentrated mainly on the east side," Sarah Cartwright said in a post. "I have seen plenty of churches and other organizations purchase pieces of land for camps and activities. This is not so far-fetched as it sounds and not that uncommon; but very unusual to us that are used to living in ‘the boonies.’”
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