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Former shelter manager is guilty A jury convicts Wayne Gatrel of sex crimes involving teenagers he supervised; he could get 48 years By DANI DODGE A Jackson County jury found a former supervisor at the Youth Diagnostic Shelter in Talent guilty of fondling and having oral sex with girls at the shelter, as well as allowing boys and girls to engage in sexual acts while he watched. The jury of three women and nine men Thursday also found Wayne Randall Gatrel, 43, of Medford, guilty of racketeering, meaning the sexual acts were a pattern of behavior preying on children. Gatrel faces a minimum of five years and 10 months in prison and a maximum of 48 years. His sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Prosecutor Michael Newman said he hopes this verdict brings closure for the young teens abused at the shelter as well as a community that was horrified by the allegations. Gatrel's co-worker, Desiree Joy Seivers, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and racketeering and is serving more than four years in prison for having sex with boys at the shelter. "My view of it is putting Desiree Seivers and Wayne Gatrel together was the worst thing that could have happened," Newman said. "Somehow the chemistry worked and together they allowed things to get out of control." After three days of testimony before Circuit Judge Ray White, the jury took only four hours to make its decision. In coming to its verdict, the jury had to decide whom to believe: Gatrel, a church-going former sheriff's deputy; or five troubled teens who were placed at the shelter for reasons ranging from criminal tendencies to drug problems to abuse by parental figures. The Youth Diagnostic Shelter is a place for youth and teens to go as they are in transition to or from custody, foster care or abused homes. After the allegations of sexual abuse surfaced in spring of 2001, the shelter was closed. It has since reopened under Jackson County's management. Gatrel began working at the shelter in November 2000. Problems at the shelter came to light after Gatrel allowed a teenage girl staying there to see her boyfriend. During the visit, the girlfriend and boyfriend smoked methamphetamine. The girl's probation officer learned of the visit and arrested the girl. The girl told the probation officer, and then a detective, that Gatrel had not only allowed the visit, but also grabbed her buttocks and asked to see her breasts and genitals. As police investigated those allegations, six boys revealed they'd had sex with Seivers while staying at the shelter. Two girls said Gatrel had fondled their bottoms and breasts. The girls said Gatrel had asked them to rub lotion on each other's bare breasts while he watched. One girl said she had engaged in numerous sexual acts with Gatrel, including oral sex. On the stand, the teenage girls said they were afraid to refuse Gatrel's requests because they could either lose privileges or be punished. Two girls and two boys also said Gatrel had allowed them to couple up in the shelter's therapy room after the other residents had gone to bed. The teens said they had performed various sexual acts on each other under blankets while Gatrel watched and occasionally lifted the blankets to see what was going on underneath. As a result, Gatrel was convicted of four counts of using a child in a sexually explicit display, four counts of third-degree sexual abuse, two counts of contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor. He was found not guilty of one count of third-degree sexual abuse and one count of attempting to contribute to the sexual delinquency of a minor. On Thursday, Gatrel testified that the stories the young teens told about him were untrue. "They did not happen," Gatrel said looking directly at the jury, then setting his mouth set in a firm line. He said the kids probably made up the story because they didn't like him. "I was the authoritarian," he said. In his closing argument, defense attorney Larry Parker admitted Gatrel wasn't "a model employee." "He slept on the job and didn't report things he knew," Parker said. But Parker said the teens' stories had big inconsistencies and didn't make sense. He noted that one girl told police she witnessed Gatrel having sex with another girl, but then on the stand she said it was dark and she didn't see the intercourse. And Parker said the children had major motivation to lie - money. He noted a civil suit is in the works. "You can't tell me the green doesn't figure into this," Parker said. "It's greed. Attention. Wanting to rebel. Fighting against authority. All of these are reasons the families have to make the stories up." But Newman pointed out that only one of the teens' families had even hired an attorney. "These kids are entitled to be believed," Newman said. "They corroborated each other. They've lived a lot of life and their ease with sexual terms shows that. But I suggest to you they are still kids. ... "If they were lying you would pick up on it." As the verdict was read, Gatrel's girlfriend and a half-dozen family members in the courtroom broke into sobs, but Gatrel betrayed little emotion. Gatrel, who had been free on bail, was taken into custody. Parker and members of Gatrel's family declined comment Thursday. One of the victims and another victim's mother also were in the courtroom but rather than speak with the press, they left the courtroom by a back door. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.