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GRANTS PASS Employees of youth facility face sex-abuse charges Prosecutors look into an alleged 'culture of misbehavior' Comment By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Apr. 17, 2015 at 3:23 PM By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Apr. 17, 2015 at 3:23 PM » Social News Two former Kairos employees who were released on bail after being arrested earlier this month are back behind bars, one now facing additional charges — and they aren't the only former Kairos employees charged or investigated for alleged sexual misconduct with clients. Dewayne Sandle-Carnell, 31, of Grants Pass, was initially charged with just one count of second-degree sexual abuse, but prosecutors have added eight more counts, all involving the same victim, a 17-year-old girl. They also added two counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. The second defendant, 40-year-old Grants Pass resident Sonia Leamons, has been charged with encouraging child sex abuse and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. Both were rearrested Wednesday. Sandle-Carnell is being held on $40,000 bail, and Leamons' bail is $30,000. Court documents indicate that Sandle-Carnell is suspected of having had sex with the teen on multiple occasions, and Leamons is accused of sending sexually explicit photos of the victim to Sandle-Carnell. A third former Kairos employee, Jason Tesorero Morla, 34, was secretly indicted last May on charges of first- and second-degree custodial sexual misconduct. The victim in that case was a young adult who was in the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority but was living at a Kairos facility. Court documents in that case state the alleged abuse occurred in July 2013. Police also investigated a fourth Kairos employee — a woman — in July after allegations surfaced that she had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy at the facility. No charges were filed in that case. The alleged victim in the Sandle-Carnell case was part of Kairos' New Beginnings program and lived at its residential facility at 1750 Nebraska Ave. The program serves youths ages 11 to 17 who suffer from mental health problems and other issues. Bend lawyer Tim Williams, who has been retained by the girl's mother and said he will likely file a civil complaint on their behalf, said the teenager was placed into treatment because she had been raped and was still dealing with the psychological trauma from that. Williams said there were "red flags" that should have alerted Kairos of the potential for problems with Sandle-Carnell. He said he has also become aware of other allegations of inappropriate behavior by staff members. "Based on my opinion gleaned from the facts that I've gathered, it seems like there's a culture of one, maybe not the best supervision of staff members, or two, maybe not the best investigation of staff members when things are reported," Williams said. Josephine County Deputy District Attorney Matt Corey said prosecutors are continuing to look into what seems to him to be "a culture of misbehavior at Kairos." "There have been apparently no changes since Morla was charged that would result in preventing the new (charges) that have happened here," Corey said. Grants Pass police Lt. Todd Moran said Sandle-Carnell was rearrested because he now faces the Measure 11 charge of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, so bail had to be increased. He said bail should have been higher for Leamons the first time she was jailed because she is facing that same charge, but it wasn't because of an oversight. A conviction on that charge carries a sentence of 70 months under Measure 11, Oregon's voter-approved mandatory sentencing law. The arrests of Sandle-Carnell and Leamons have been a hot topic on social media, and threats have been made against them on Facebook. Public defender Joseph Maier, who is defending Sandle-Carnell, said it should go without saying that they are innocent until proven guilty. "This thing's still very early in the proceedings, and we're just waiting for all the information to come out," he said. Kairos CEO Bob Lieberman said Thursday morning that his focus remains on supporting his staff and making sure the needs of the youths in Kairos' care are met. "We report allegations immediately when they come to our attention, and we take immediate actions for safety," he said. Leamons and Sandle-Carnell were placed on administrative leave as soon as the allegations against them surfaced, and both were fired upon their arrests. Reach reporter Melissa McRobbie at 541-474-3806 or [email protected]   By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Apr. 17, 2015 at 3:23 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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