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--> --> Seiver gets four years in shelter abuse case By Maggie McGehee Ashland Daily Tidings The 22-year-old Central Point woman who admitted to having sex with at-risk teens staying at the Youth Diagnostics Center in Talent while she worked there as a supervisor will serve at least four years in prison, a judge ruled. Desiree Joy Seiver was sentenced Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to three counts of third-degree rape, one count of attempted third-degree rape, two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, one count of racketeering, and one count of contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor earlier this year. As part of her plea agreement with Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston, Seiver will also testify against her co-worker Wayne Randall Gatrel, 43 of Medford, who faces similar charges. The two worked at the shelter for about six months, and in that time sexually abused eight teens at the shelter and provided them with methamphetamines, according to prosecutors. All of the teens were between the ages of 15 and 16. In addition to jail, Seiver must undergo sex-offender treatment and alcohol, drug and mental health counseling. She was also sentenced to five years probation. Gatrel faces four charges of using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct, two counts of contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, five counts of third-degree sexual abuse, and one count each of attempted contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, harassment and racketeering. The events at the shelter forced Community Works, a Medford-based community organization, to close the shelter and hand over control of the shelter to Jackson County. County officials plan to re-open the 16-bed facility - which is the only teen shelter in Jackson County - under new management and increased security. However, there is some dispute between Community Works and Jackson County Commissioners over ownership of the shelter property. Jackson County Commissioner Jack Walker said he has some concerns about Community Works retaining ownership of the property since the county deeded the land to the outreach organization when it first began operating the center. "Community Works came to the county and said they'd like the property donated to them to provide the services that they provided, and I just happened to disagree," Walker said. "I thought it should be leased to them, that way we were not losing ownership of it. But I'm one member of the board, and at the time the decision was made, I thought that if the facility was operating outside the range of community service that ownership will be reverted back to the county. I assumed that it would have been included in the contract agreement." Since Community Works is no longer providing staffing or services at the site, Walker feels the land should be deeded back to the county, but a sticking point is the fact that Community Works invested money into improving the site. To that, Walker says the county should reimburse the Medford-based community organization. "I understand that they needed to borrow money to develop property," Walker said. "If there was an investment to provide this service, maybe the county ought to be reimbursing them for that investment and retaining ownership. I think that is the fair thing to do. I don't see why ownership shouldn't revert back to county ... The reason for this developing is not the result of any actions that county took," Walker said. "It is all a result of actions taken by Community Works." Community Works officials have yet to respond to Walker's suggestions. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing