Breaking News Story on Teen Advocates USA

[Anonymous]

On 2004-03-28 19:19:00, Anonymous wrote:

"(my source may have mispoken,) but the person did say "Maryland"



No one seems to be able to make contact with the owners of the facility...



Adam Ah Quin's home in Cedar City was listed For Sale with ERA Realty on the very day that the State of Utah revoked the MLSA license.



The Ah Quins have already tried to have the business license 'transferred' to a different address in Cedar City so they can continue business without having to be re-licensed.  The city attorney nixed that.



Their neighbors say they are also trying to reopen the existing facility as a "sex offendor" house.



The Ah Quins seem to be keeping pretty quiet regarding their roles in all this...



This tragedy is just in its beginning stages.



"

Thanks Anon, I'm curious as to what exactly the AhQuin's background is in this industry?  I read somewhere that the police had been called to the youth home before but no details were given. Who are these people? Also, in light of the post below, I am beginning to wonder if there is some reason why people in the industry or community might feel intimitated by the AhQuin family? What do you think?

Posted: 2003-08-31 18:59:00  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well here goes :
He has built or owns websites for that purpose(troubled teen referrals/schools). His website used to have an Ah Quin family member on it. A brother/son to people who run Liahona Academy. I also heard rumor that Steve helped finance a program started by Randall Hinton (formerly of Teen Help). They are all from Hurricane, UT. I have also heard that there is a lawsuit over the startup funds (Lemmon trying to sue Hinton).
Lemmon family very large in Hurricane/SO. Utah - some family members are real estate agents.

Another of his sites is : swlemmon.com calls himself a Business Consultant.

I would bet he refers to Liahona if any. I don't think WWASP would associate with him as he funded a person they basically told to go away (this would be Hinton). You probably already know this (I suspect Sue S. as the poster looking for info) as Hinton and Sue were/are pretty tight.

TheStudio.net actually had built a website for Casa by the Sea, but has been redone since.

No background in the industry known. He's a film/media buff trying to get in on the teen help industry craze of the internet these days.

He's associated with the Ah Quin people - so I'd watch out. They have a reputation for getting things done there way. One of the Ah Quin's (younger) worked doing concert promotions - thug like - also likes underage girls - pervert.

Now - in exchange for this information I would like to know your purpose. I was fair and open with this - can't you do the same? I have no beef with this guy, but you asked for info. Why are you asking questions about him? I suspect you've been thrown a name, but I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Do tell - I might be able to help you.

If you tell what you're up to - that might be worth some more information....

Internet has lot's of info - just have to know where to look...

[Anonymous]

So what is the story about the AhQuin family? Who are these people?  How did they get involved in the teen help industry?

[Troubled Turd]

Whip 'em into shape before it's too late!!!

[Anonymous]

Jesse Simmons was sent there because his parents chose to send him there. He had been failing school and was slowly getting into drugs such as alcohol and marijuana. He was never arrested, nor has he even been in any trouble with the law for that matter. I know this because I am a close friend. So whoever is saying that the state of Maryland sent him there is talking out of their ass because that's bullshit.

[Anonymous]

On 2004-03-29 17:24:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Jesse Simmons was sent there because his parents chose to send him there. He had been failing school and was slowly getting into drugs such as alcohol and marijuana. He was never arrested, nor has he even been in any trouble with the law for that matter. I know this because I am a close friend. So whoever is saying that the state of Maryland sent him there is talking out of their ass because that's bullshit. "

Thanks Anon, it is important to keep the facts straight, especially in a case as highly prejudicial as this one apparently is. I had a feeling the other anon was talking out of their *** based on statements made which were reported in the news.  Bottom line, both boys are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. People need to remember that, no matter what their personal opinion.  Especially parents who have children in programs .... where the old adage "but for the grace of God, go I" definitly applies.

 :smokin:

[Antigen]

Do ya'll have any idea how many people found out after the fact that their court orders were a bluff? I wonder if Jesse knows he wasn't court ordered?

Or what if there is an order, but it's one of those shaky orders like the ones they teach about in TOUGHLOVE circles? You know I've had a cop suggest to me that I lie in order to get assault charges against my daughter cause he thought she belonged in the County's bootcamp?  They might not even have to lie about it anymore :roll:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The people who ran straight had the best of intentions. I hope they reached their destination.

http://stopsembler.org/' target='_new'>James Lloyd

[Anonymous]

so mabee it was the other perpfrom marllind-big diff!

[Anonymous]

I knew jesse for over 7 years and this whole ordeal is really hard for me to take in. I find it hard to believe a lot of the things that I hear about this case, but sometimes when people get mixed up in drugs and get off the track, the line between right and wrong gets blurred, and you find yourself in situations where you have to do whatever you can to do what you "think" will help you get out of the situation. Because you are almost out of touch with reality and can't see that it is wrong. I don't know all the facts, I don't know what really happened. But I know that something was failing jesse for him to be a part of this. There are times when the parents are to blame, but his parents DID try to help him, they couldn't help him from their own home, so they sent him to a place that was "supposed" to help him, but unfortunately, the home failed him too. I don't believe in the death penalty at all, and to see 17 year olds who are legally NOT adults, be tried as adults saddens me. These kids CAN be rehabilitated, it just seems as if nobody really wants to try hard enough. The easy thing to do is to lock them up or put them to death. It's a tragedy for all of the families here. We'll see what happens.

[Antigen]

Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see. That's almost always good advice anyway. In this case, the stakes are very high and everybody's got compelling inducement to color things their way.

My guess is that this kid had all the "help" he could stand and just wanted to be free. I have NO idea if he was the one to hit the guy, if he had any clue that might happen or anything else. But just don't buy into a bunch of bullshit that doesn't mesh with what you know about this kid. The people most able to get publicity right now have some very good reasons to want us all to view this kid as a total monster when, in all liklihood, he may have been acting rationally in his own defense. I don't know, I wasn't there. Just please do all you can to keep the prosecutors and victim's contingency honest.

The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive.


--Thomas Sowell

[Anonymous]

I agree with Ginger.  God only knows what really happened that night. Just pray the boys attorneys move for a change in venue if there is any chance they can't get a fair trial due to prejudice. Cedar City is a small town and has something like 16 similar programs for troubled youth operating in their community. Second, the boys are being tried as adults and if convicted, could be sentenced to death. Personally, I think that is as senseless as the tragic death of Anson Arnett and hope the prosecutor will decide not to ask for the death penalty.

 :sad:

[Anonymous]

We all want to know what "really" happened that night.  Those of you speaking for the alleged killers may be forgetting that as a result of Jesse and Sean's actions, for whatever reasons, Anson is dead!  Were they provoked?  The information available states that Anson was unaware that the youths were lying in wait.  If Jesse and Sean are not "killers" why did they attack Anson with a baseball bat?  Why did they hit him more than once?  Why did they cut the phone lines preventing any type of help directly from the facility?  I'm sure for those who know Jesse and Sean personally, it is hard to believe.  It must be just as difficult for the family to believe that their loved one is dead after having been brutally beaten at work.

I don't know how I feel about the youths being tried as adults.  They are closer in age to 18 than 16, so maybe they should be tried as adults.  After watching a Dateline or 48 Hours program March 31st, specifically about youths committing crimes, being tried as adults and spending years in prison, I still don't know how I feel.  The death penalty?  That simply accompanies the charge of aggravated murder, and how can you call the actions of the youths resulting in the death of Anson anything but aggravated murder?  Change of venue?  The crime occurred in Cedar City.  Anson was a Cedar City resident.  Why should the youths be tried anywhere else?  The family has rights as victims to follow the steps the justice system will be taking.  If losing Anson isn't hardship enough, moving the trial could most certainly add to the familiy's hardship.  
I do believe the youths have the right to a fair trial, unfortunately, Anson cannot speak for himself, which means the youths can say whatever they want and we can only hope and pray what they say is true.  Same for the witnesses, who are, I would guess, traumatized by what they saw.
As has been previously stated, all families are suffering and let's not forget why.  The actions of Jesse and Sean are like a small stone thrown into water, the rippling effects crippling so many.  The youths had choices, made poor choices and now everyone suffers.  One can only hope the reason WHY, will be addressed by Jesse and Sean themselves in the days to come.  Perhaps this information will provide closure for the many who suffer now.

[Deborah]

While your focus is on what the boys did, many of us are more focused on what the program DID NOT DO to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

While the comments here may sound unempathic to the couselor who lost his life and his family, the problem with regulations violations is rampant within the industry; and should not be overlooked in this situation. This tragedy is yet another example of why programs found in violation should be shut down immediately. I personally hold the owner of the program responsible. He should be standing trial for putting the teens/counselor at risk. Should never be allowed to work with youth again in any capacity.

Had another counselor been on duty as the state requires, had the program better handled the frustration the boys were dealing with as a result of being detained longer, we might not be having this discussion.

[Anonymous]

Excuse me, the death of Anson Arnett is absolutely horrible.  But I blame the state of Utah as much as anybody else for not monitoring the program properly and also, the director of Maximum Life Skills for disobeying the DHS regulations that there must be 2 staff members on duty AT ALL TIMES.

Where is the accountability?  This was a home for TROUBLED YOUTH, you would think the Cedar City community would be outraged that this home was not operating in accordance TO THE LAW.  Why do you think these laws exist?  To protect the kids, the staff AND THE COMMUNITY.

Cedar City should decide if they want programs like this in their community if the programs aren't going to follow basic rules, why do they condone them?  16 PROGRAMS IN ONE TOWN!

 :flame:

[Antigen]

On 2004-04-02 07:37:00, Anonymous wrote:

"We all want to know what "really" happened that night.  Those of you speaking for the alleged killers may be forgetting that as a result of Jesse and Sean's actions, for whatever reasons, Anson is dead!

And you may be forgetting that, as a result of the actions of the troubled parent industry, a lot of kids never got to grow up, grew up too fast as virtual orphans or live marginally today.

  Were they provoked?  The information available states that Anson was unaware that the youths were lying in wait.  If Jesse and Sean are not "killers" why did they attack Anson with a baseball bat?  

Uh, so he couldn't prevent their escape?

Why did they hit him more than once?  Why did they cut the phone lines preventing any type of help directly from the facility?  I'm sure for those who know Jesse and Sean personally, it is hard to believe.  

I don't think Sean and Jesse knew eachother before the Program. So there probably isn't anyone who knows both of them. And we still don't know who hit the guy or why.

It must be just as difficult for the family to believe that their loved one is dead after having been brutally beaten at work.

They should have seen it coming, don't you think? I mean, it's not asif this is the first time a staffer has ever been injured or killed during an escape attempt. If you're going to hole fully grown people against their will, you should first educate yourself extensively on prison procedures and psychology. It's a fools gambit to think you can just hang out a shingle and start holding people against their will w/o their fighting back once in awhile.

I don't know how I feel about the youths being tried as adults.  They are closer in age to 18 than 16, so maybe they should be tried as adults.  After watching a Dateline or 48 Hours program March 31st, specifically about youths committing crimes, being tried as adults and spending years in prison, I still don't know how I feel.  The death penalty?  That simply accompanies the charge of aggravated murder, and how can you call the actions of the youths resulting in the death of Anson anything but aggravated murder?  Change of venue?  The crime occurred in Cedar City.  Anson was a Cedar City resident.  Why should the youths be tried anywhere else?  The family has rights as victims to follow the steps the justice system will be taking.  If losing Anson isn't hardship enough, moving the trial could most certainly add to the familiy's hardship.  

I do believe the youths have the right to a fair trial, unfortunately, Anson cannot speak for himself, which means the youths can say whatever they want and we can only hope and pray what they say is true.  Same for the witnesses, who are, I would guess, traumatized by what they saw.

Well, having walked a mile more or less in their shoes, I'm guessing the wittnesses were probably more vindicated than traumatized by what they saw. And I'll go further out on a limb and guess that their testimony will be oddly limited, as they will remain in the control of the Program operators to the greatest extent possible; and just for that reason stated above.

When I told the people of Northern Ireland that I was an atheist, a woman in the audience stood up and said, "Yes, but is it the God of the Catholics or the God of the Protestants in whom you don't believe?"  
-- Quentin Crisp

[Anonymous]

'in all likelihood he was acting in his own defense'??? Please explain to me why it would take such brutal and vicious action as beating someone to DEATH, just to get out of the house? As someone who knew Anson Arnett, well, it's unthinkable that Jesse Simmons or Sean Graham needed to beat him nearly to death and lock him in a closet to get away. It would appear from witness statements that Anson was simply walking up the stairs and I can't believe for one moment that beating him to death was an action taken in self-defense. I was not there either, but I think that Sean Graham and Jesse Simmons could easily have overpowered Anson and made thier getaway without the extreme violence and brutality that resulted in Anson's death. It's disgusting to read the posts that speculate that Anson was a 'brutal bastard' or that he may have provoked this attack? Disgusting.