Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry
Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch - new entry on the wiki
Oscar:
We are working on an article about Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch
Some news:
February 2005 a man got sentenced to prison for the rape of two 15-year-old girls while he was employed as a youth supervisor at the faciity
August 2010 4 teenagers ran away from the facility
Ursus:
Here's some earlier coverage about that rape case; the pertinent case discussed is the first one:
-------------- • -------------- • --------------
Lake County Leader · (Polson, Montana)
Courts address three rape cases, one sexual assault
Posted: Thursday, October 14, 2004 12:00 am | Updated: 1:57 pm, Thu Feb 18, 2010.
By Maggie Plummer · of the Leader
POLSON - District Judges C. B. McNeil and D. K. Christopher processed a total of 60 District Court cases last week, playing catch-up from some recent weeks when court sessions were not held.
Among those cases were three rape cases and a multiple sexual assault case involving a Polson man who had allegedly failed to register as a sex offender.
James Stanley Barnes, the 25-year-old Dixon man accused of having sex with two of his 15-year-old female students at the Pinehaven Christian School in St. Ignatius, changed his plea to guilty last Wednesday.
In a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to two counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent.
Two felony counts of sexual assault are being dismissed, under the terms of the plea bargain.
His sentencing is set for Dec. 1.
According to court files, the defendant allegedly had sex with the two female victims on several occasions between October 2003 and May 2004.
The two teenage victims lived at the school. One of them is from Washington and the other is from Montana.
Barnes' plea agreement recommends that he be sentenced to 15 years in Montana State Prison.
For each felony count, the plea bargain calls for 35 years with 20 years suspended, with the sentences for each count to run concurrently.
The maximum penalty for two counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent is life in prison.
John Thomas Bigcrane, 28, of Ronan was sentenced to 20 years in the state prison for felony sexual intercourse without consent.
According to court files, during February 2003 the defendant allegedly had intercourse with a 15-year-old victim.
In sentencing Bigcrane, Judge McNeil specified that he will not be eligible for parole until he has completed three phases of the prison's sex offender treatment program.
Bigcrane must also pay $55 in court surcharges and a $100 public defender fee.
Scott Reum, 30, of Polson changed his plea to guilty of failing to register as a sex offender and three counts of felony sexual assault.
He is due to be sentenced Nov. 10.
According to a court affidavit, Reum was convicted of felony sexual assault in April 1993. After two probation violations, the defendant was sent to Montana State Prison in June 2000, and released on July 24, 2002.
He was last registered as a sex offender in the City of Kalispell on Dec. 19, 2002, court records state.
According to the court file, Reum moved back to Lake County in early 2003. According to police, he lived here for about a month and a half and had not registered himself as required by law.
Then, the court file states, a school counselor told county detectives that a five-year-old girl had approached the counselor with concerns about the defendant. The affidavit states that Reum admitted to police that he'd not registered here as a sex offender, and that on three occasions during March 2003 he had touched the girl in a sexual way.
Byron Alexander Johnson, 21, of Dayton pleaded not guilty to felony sexual intercourse without consent and was released on $3,000 bond.
According to the court file, Johnson allegedly had sex with a 13-year-old girl. The affidavit also says that the girl told the defendant that she was 17 years old.
© Copyright 2010, leaderadvertiser.com, Polson, MT.
Ursus:
Missoulian
Dixon man sentenced to prison for raping girls
By JOHN STROMNES of the Missoulian | Posted: Thursday, January 27, 2005 12:00 am
POLSON – A Dixon man who raped two girls while he was working as a youth supervisor at Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch near St. Ignatius received a 10-year prison sentence Wednesday, with an additional 10 years suspended.
James Stanley Barnes, 26, held back tears as he told District Judge C.B. McNeil of his remorse.
"It was despicable and it was wrong. I regret it immensely. I ask the court to give me an opportunity to make amends for what I have done," Barnes said before the judge sentenced him on two felony counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
His wife and 2-year-old daughter were in the courtroom, and a minister and a former co-worker at the home for troubled teens testified that they were confident Barnes truly was remorseful and would not reoffend when he leaves prison.
His co-worker said Barnes was hired without receiving training and was unprepared for the stresses and temptations of the job.
His attorney, Ben Anciaux, said Barnes' wife would serve as a "watchdog" once Barnes gets out of prison, to make sure he complies with all 35 rules of probation written into the sentence.
The prosecutor, Chief Deputy County Attorney Mitch Young, sought a longer term – 15 years in prison, with an additional 20 years suspended, because Barnes took advantage of his position of authority and trust as a teacher at the school to entice the two teenage girls into having sex with him.
The state probation officer responsible for the presentence investigation recommended the lesser prison term. A sexual offender evaluation prepared by a psychologist also stated that Barnes was unlikely to reoffend.
The maximum sentence for sexual intercourse without consent is life in prison.
Barnes could be out of prison in as little as three years if he completes Phase 1 of the sexual offender treatment program in that time. He must continue sexual offender treatment once he leaves prison, the judge ordered.
Barnes must also pay all counseling and medical expenses related to his sexual liaisons with the teenagers. Both girls were under 16 years old when the crimes occurred. Juveniles under the age of 16 cannot legally give consent to having sex with adults.
Two additional felony charges of sexual assault were dismissed as a result of a plea agreement.
Barnes was fired from his job at Pinehaven after the victims made their allegations to investigators in May 2004. He was arrested May 6, pleaded not guilty in June, and changed his plea to guilty in October. A delay in sentencing occurred because the sexual offender evaluation had to be prepared. The offenses occurred in 2002 and 2003 while the girls were residents at the ranch in the foothills south of St. Ignatius.
Reporter John Stromnes can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or jstromnes@missoulian.com
Posted in State-and-regional on Thursday, January 27, 2005 12:00 am Updated: 7:47 am.
© Copyright 2010, missoulian.com, Missoula, MT
Ursus:
Lake County Leader · (Polson, Montana)
Dixon man gets 10 years for rape
Posted: Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:00 am | Updated: 1:59 pm, Thu Feb 18, 2010.
By Eric Baker · Leader Staff
James Stanley Barnes, 26, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Jan. 27 for the rape of two 15-year-old girls while he was employed as a youth supervisor at Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch near St. Ignatius.
Barnes, of Dixon, was given an additional 10 years suspended sentence by District Judge C.B. McNeil. Pinehaven fired Barnes after an investigation began in May, 2004.
Lake County Deputy Attorney Mitch Young sought a longer term for Barnes because he took advantage of his position as an authority figure to entice the teenagers to have sex. But the presentence investigation recommended a lighter term and the two 10-year sentences for Barnes are to run concurrently. A psychologist's evaluation said Barnes was unlikely to reoffend.
According to court documents, Barnes put his hand under the shirt of one girl and attempted to have intercourse with her, but she resisted. The defendant sexually assaulted her with his finger instead. Another victim said he put his hand under her shirt, and had sexual intercourse with her in the storage room of the school.
While the maximum sentence for rape is life in prison, Barnes could be out in three years if he completes Phase 1 of the sexual offender treatment program. He could then be considered for parole, and Phases 2 and 3 must be completed before he is released from the Montana State Prison system.
Barnes must also pay all medical bills and counseling expenses for the victims. He has 35 rules of probation written into his sentence, and if he violates only one, it would be grounds for a revoking his parole.
The legal age of consent for sex is 16 in Montana. Two felony sexual assault charges were dropped as part of the plea bargain.
The defendant had originally described his relationships as consensual, but afterward realized he was in a position of authority that affected his judgment.
Barnes is married and has a two-year-old daughter.
© Copyright 2010, leaderadvertiser.com, Polson, MT.
Ursus:
About Pinehaven — "The Official Site of Pinehaven Alumni for Change" — appears to have been created shortly after the sentencing of James Stanley Barnes for rape and devotes a couple of entries to that case. It also has some entries about program regulation in Montana, but then nothing more.
Here's what About Pinehaven has to say 'bout the James Barnes case:
-------------- • -------------- • --------------
Our Response
Our official response in regarding the incidents surrounding the rape of 2 young girls at Pinehaven is as follows:
We are very sorry that someone wasn’t there standing in and protecting these children. That was supposed to be the job of the staff. That was the job of the directors and we believe they let down those two young girls. We strongly advocate change in Pinehaven in the following areas in response to these incidents. We are not going away. We believe that any organization needs to evaluate itself when people are hurt in this dramatic a way by a staff member, and relative of the Directors.
Our proposed changes:
1. Management of Pinehaven
We advocate a strong board of directors made up of former Alumni, Other church supporters, and representatives from First Christian Church,St Ignatius.
2. Hiring and Personnel Decisions
We believe that background checks should be mandatory for all current staff members, all future hires,and volunteers. We also believe that all future hires should be approved by proposed Board of Directors.
3. Resource Management
We believe that resources are often misallocated, misused, and misrepresented by current staff at Pinehaven and we believe in order to be responsible to the supporters of Pinehaven that we need to responsibly manage the funds brought into Pinehaven.
# #
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version