Article Last Updated: 9/21/2006 06:24 AM
Whitmore Academy abuse case nears end
By Kirsten Stewart
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Posted: 6:31 AM- Whitmore Academy owner Cheryl Sudweeks has all but resolved accusations of child abuse that have haunted her and her Nephi boarding school for more than three years.
Earlier this week, Sudweeks entered a no-contest plea to four counts of attempted hazing, a class C misdemeanor. In doing so, Sudweeks agreed to pay her alleged victims any restitution that might be awarded in a civil lawsuit, and a $555 fine.
She also must complete 50 hours of community service and is barred from ever operating or being involved with another teen help program in Juab County.
Her plea is being held in abeyance, which means if Sudweeks upholds these terms, all charges will be dropped.
Sudweeks and her husband, Mark Sudweeks, co-owner of the now-defunct Whitmore Academy, declined to comment on the case.
Their lawyer, Jim Merrell, is pleased with the outcome and stressed that Sudweeks maintains her innocence. But Merrell lamented how negative publicity has "devastated" the family financially and emotionally.
Due to declining enrollment, Whitmore closed about a year ago, and the Sudweekses put the historic mansion that housed the school up for sale.
"It's a shame. For 20 years, they've done everything under the sun to help troubled kids," said Merrell. "This is just another example of the abuses of Utah's Division of Child and Family Services. The agency has a lot of power and can destroy people's lives with very little evidence."
Juab County Attorney Jared Eldridge acknowledged that parents of the alleged victims are unhappy and feel "abandoned" by the system.
Sudweeks was originally charged with five misdemeanor counts of child abuse and two counts of hazing for allegedly humiliating and physically harming four children under her care in 2003 and 2004.
Eldridge stands by those charges, but said he feared a jury trial would have exposed credibility problems with witnesses.
"This was the best deal we could get," said Eldridge. "It was a struggle for me. But I told the families that I have to live in reality."
Merrell said the Sudweekses have no ties to other youth programs in Utah or elsewhere, but he could not speak to their future plans.
There is nothing preventing Mark Sudweeks from opening another school. And if in a year, Cheryl Sudweeks clears her name, she too will be free to open a youth program outside of Juab County under state Human Services Licensing rules.
The Sudweekses have had minor scuffles with the law before for animal neglect in Canada and illegally operating a Mexico teen program in violation of their tourist visas. In Utah, Whitmore was cited for repeat fire code violations.
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