Posted on 11/17/2004 9:27:17 AM PST by cgk
Foster father pleads guilty to child rape, victims sue state
TACOMA, Wash. -- A man who became a foster father two years ago has pleaded guilty to charges that he raped, photographed and exploited young boys in his charge.
Meanwhile, the families of seven children who were placed with Ronald Harold Young and his wife Wendy have filed claims totaling more than $24 million from Washington state.
Young, 41, of Home, a mobile home repair worker, was initially charged with 54 offenses but pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree child rape, four of sexual exploitation of a minor and one each of second-degree child rape and possession of child pornography.
Those crimes involve six boys ranging in age from 6 to 13 who were placed by the state at his house on the Key Peninsula west of Tacoma after he and his wife, who worked long hours at a grocery store, became foster parents in July 2002.
"I know that he's extremely sorry for what he's done," defense lawyer Gary Clower said after the hearing in Pierce County Superior Court. "I think he's disappointed in himself and is very sorry for what he's done to these kids."
Young, who had often been alone with the children, admitted he took the photos, including at least one of himself raping a child. The plea agreement reflects problems with evidence because of "a search warrant technicality," deputy prosecutor Rosie Martinelli said.
Tacoma police were alerted in January by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about someone using the e-mail address fosterdad@hotmail.com, but the resulting warrant to search Young's home was incomplete, Martinelli said.
"We would have had other ways to get where we had to be, but it would have been more difficult legally," she said.
Martinelli said she was still satisfied because after Young serves his sentence - 20 to 26 1/2 years under state guidelines - he could remain locked up indefinitely if he is found likely to commit more violent sex crimes.
Sentencing was set for Jan. 14.
Meanwhile, in claims filed since July, the families of seven children who were placed with Young accused the state Department of Social and Health Services, Child Protective Services, Division of Children and Family Services and Division of Licensing Resources of failing to protect the boys from him.
The claims seek damages of $3.5 million to $5 million for each child the agencies placed with Young, accusing officials of failing to properly license and monitor his home, check his background, conduct sufficient licensing reviews or adequately supervise the children.
DSHS spokeswoman Kathy Spears said she couldn't comment on the claims.
The state has 60 days from the date of filing to decide whether to grant the claims, negotiate settlements or reject them, in which case the victims' families may file lawsuits.
Chris Robinson, regional administrator for the Division of Children and Family Services, said Young's foster children had "quite a bit of contact, not only with our staff but with their (biological) parents and with school staff," and exhibited no behavior indicating they were being harmed.
---
In the meantime, lawyers are more busy protecting these species instead of the innocent:
Women 911 Dispatchers Demand Millions For Being Groped
Like I said, plent of lawyers out there to protect decadence... none to protect the very kids who are the sole future hope for our own future protection.
doesn't matter if the guy "could" commit another crime, this should be enough to kill him.
We had a big problem in my state last year because a whole slew of social workers couldn't recognize that four foster children were being starved to death right under their noses. The social workers had been at the house for 17 or 18 times in two years, but didn't have a clue. They also believed the parents who said they were "homeschooling" the kids. Like hell they were.
So now we have a group of politicians who want to make it very difficult for everyone who homeschools in the state to do so.
And in all this....the kids are suffering...
Death by 200 blows with a rattan cane soaked in brine!
I can't imagine making my living saying things like this.
Damn trial lawyers.
just damn :-(
Both these people (and I use the term very loosely) deserve to die before they drag others into hell with them
It is hard telling...stranger things have happened.
Those of us who have been involved with CPS as foster and adoptive parents know that most of the people involved are good hearted and want what is best for children.
The screening process for foster parents is pretty rigid, and it involves a number of FBI checks and there are multiple CPS parties involved...so if the guy had had any priors, there is no way that he could have been approved as a foster parent.
But there are many former foster kids who have stories of severe abuse and neglect at the hands of foster parents and other foster children in the home, so who knows.
Honestly, the only CPS caseworkers that we have disliked working with in the past (and we are licensed both to foster and to adopt) have been those who were clearly homosexual. All of them seemed to not have the child's best interest at heart, and all of them seemed somewhat uncomfortable (though not openly hostile) with the fact that we are Christians, married, and homeschool.
Suffice to say, what happened here is sin, pure and simple. I know a CPS investigator who has told me off the record that the only thing that will cure a pedophile is a bullet, and that he would NEVER place a foster child with a single man...regardless of how hard up they were for foster parents. This is NOT an isolated case...just highly publicized.
Let's see how "sorry" he is when he's locked up with the big boys!
Agreed!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.