Man In Charge Of Supervising Troubled Youth Faces Sex Abuse ChargesBy Roxeanne Vainuku, KUTV, January 1, 2014A man in charge of supervising troubled youth is now in some trouble of his own.
Spanish Fork Police arrested a youth center employee for touching young girls inappropriately, now he faces multiple charges.
Wade Russell, 59, was supposed to keep an eye on the young girls in his care, but it's what police say he was doing when no one was watching that put him in jail.
"Allegations were brought forth that two residents of the group home had been inappropriately touched by an employee of the facility," says Lt. Matt Johnson with the Spanish Fork Police.
One of the girls, a 14 year old, said the abuse started two days after she entered the Extended Family Services group home in Spanish Fork. She said Russell laid down next to her bed and fondled her over the top of her clothing.
Police security footage from cameras at the facility show Russell's feet hanging out of the door to the girl's room as though he was lying down.
Police also reviewed video that showed Russell go into a laundry room and bedroom alone with another 14 year old girl.
That girl told investigators Russell has been sexually abusing her since June and also showed her pornography on his cell phone.
Police reports show Supervisors at the Extended Family Services group home warned Russell to keep all interaction with the young girls in his care in full view of security cameras throughout the building. There's no reason listed as to why Russell got that warning, but documents show Russell also got a warning about hugging young girls.
Police say Extended family services did all the proper screenings to protect the kids the facility, but that Russell has no criminal history, nothing that would raise concern.
Police arrested Russell. They say Russell told police he did not touch the girls inappropriately. According to police, he didn't have an explanation for being alone withe the girls, only called it "stupid" and when police asked to see his cell phone history, Russell told investigators he'd lost the phone.
Russell was booked into the Utah County Jail. He faces nine felony charges including charges for sodomy, sexual abuse and showing pornography to a minor.
(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)
Man accused of sexually abusing teens at group home bound over for trialby Paige Fieldsted, Herald Extra, May 06, 2014A man accused of sexually abusing two teens at a group home for troubled youth in Spanish Fork has been bound over for trial.
During a preliminary hearing held Monday a judge found there is enough evidence for Wade Russell to go to trial on 15 of the 17 charges brought against him. Russell will stand trial on seven counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony; two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony; and one count each of forcible sodomy, sodomy on a child and attempted rape of a child, all first-degree felonies.
One count of forcible sexual abuse and one count of forcible sodomy were dismissed after the preliminary hearing.
Russell was arrested and charged in November when a 14-year-old girl at the Extended Family Services youth center told her state worker that Russell had touched her and another 14-year-old girl inappropriately.
Both girls were interviewed at the Utah County Children's Justice Center. One of the girls told interviewers that in early November, Russell entered her room and touched her inappropriately over her clothing, according to police records.
The other girl told interviewers she had been assaulted by Russell on multiple occasions. According to police, security footage from the center shows Russell entering the girls' rooms and the laundry room, but there is no video from inside the private rooms or the laundry room. One video shows that Russell entered one of the girls' rooms and emerged nine minutes later.
According to police records, an employee evaluation done Aug. 13 shows that Russell was told not to have any contact with female residents alone or out of the view of security cameras. Police records also indicate that prior to one of the girls' arrival at the center Oct. 30, staff was told the girl has a history of sexual activity with older men and that no male employee was to be alone with her.
Police reports state Russell agreed to be interviewed by police and told officers he "showed poor judgement" in going into the girls' rooms but denied any touching.
One of the girls also accused Russell of showing her pornography, according to police records.
Russell will be in court again May 29 for a scheduling conference.
