Former executive director Blake Bowman pleaded guilty to misusing Camp Thurman funds in 2021 and 2022.
Bowman, who oversaw the Christian camp in Pantego for eight years, was arrested in 2024 and charged with misapplication of property as a fiduciary and theft of property, each valued at $300,000 or more.
Prosecutors showed transactions totaling more than $1 million, according to court filings. It is unclear how much they allege Bowman stole or misapplied.
Bowman entered an open plea in late February, meaning he pleaded guilty to both first-degree felony counts. His sentencing will be decided by the court at a later date.
A conviction on each charge could carry a punishment of five to 99 years in prison, along with fines.
Bowman’s lawyer declined to comment. The Tarrant County district attorney’s office declined to comment because the case is pending.
Court filings show Bowman was accused of using credit cards intended for camp expenses to pay personal expenses and connecting his PayPal account to Camp Thurman’s bank account.
State officials also found evidence from Camp Thurman and OnlyFans, an adult-subscription service, according to a February 2025 court filing.
In a June 27 filing, officials from the district attorney’s office said they learned during a witness meeting with camp leadership that Bowman made payments to the camp amounting to about $2,800 between March 2024 and May 2025. The filings did not disclose what the payments were for.
Bowman was indicted in April 2024 and arrested about a month later. He posted bail but then was reindicted in January 2025 after new information about the embezzlement allegations surfaced.
Bowman took a job in Weatherford ISD as a fourth-grade teacher in late 2022, where he worked until May 2023, district officials confirmed.
Later that year, he taught in Burleson ISD. Bowman resigned Aug. 21, 2025, Burleson ISD spokesperson Katelyn Tyler previously told the Arlington Report.
Bowman’s teacher certification is under review, Texas Education Agency confirmed, adding that they could not comment further as the investigation is active.
Chris Moss is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@fortworthreport.org.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published Aug. 20, 2025. It has been updated Aug. 22, 2025, Sept. 19, 2025, and March 17, 2026, with new information.
At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Arlington Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
