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46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 3, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 15, 2005 Alleged rape victim sought help from school before assault Her mom says officials should have called home before letting the girl go By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune A 15-year-old runaway allegedly raped in a Bear Creek Greenway homeless camp was turned away from shelter by the region’s leading social service agency because all the beds were full. Hours before the reported March 4 attack, staff at CrossRoads school, where the girl is a student, tried to arrange overnight shelter, even as her mother reported her missing to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. When beds at the Jackson County Juvenile Center and local host homes turned out to be full, the mother charged that CrossRoads staff members let the girl go without finding out where she was headed — and without contacting her family. "Nobody could pick up the telephone? That is my question," said the mother. "This is a situation that a simple phone call or two would have resolved." Arnie Green, director of Community Works, the social service agency that runs the school, declined to discuss the specific incident because of confidentiality laws. Advertisement In general, however, he said agency rules require that parents be notified if a child under age 16 is placed in alternative care. But rules also allow a child older than 14 to request confidentiality in a counseling situation. "It all really depends on the youngster’s willingness to have us contact their parent," he said. The girl’s mother said CrossRoads principal Suzanne Slavin told her the agency complied with required regulations. "She said she did what was legally necessary, that she had no legal responsibility to contact me to let me know where my daughter was," the mother said. "What about her human responsibility?" Slavin said she couldn’t discuss the individual case, but that she was "sick about what happened to this girl." "I feel like we really tried, but I can’t say any more than that," Slavin said. Green said Community Works rents a shelter bed from local juvenile authorities for about $70 a night. The agency also contracts with several "host beds" operated by certified foster parents. Green noted that funding for homeless and runaway services has been cut in half in the past 18 months and that the agency has had to scale back services. "We’re pedaling as fast as we can to protect as many kids as we can," he said. The girl, who has been at CrossRoads for about three months, told staff members and students on March 4 that she wanted to run away from home, her mother said. The girl apparently thought she was in trouble with her father. CrossRoads staff members contacted the Jackson County Juvenile Center, but the bed rented by Community Works was full, said Director Danny Jordan. Other beds apparently were also full, the mother added. The girl, who lives in Rogue River, told CrossRoads staff she was planning to stay with a friend, her mother said. "I said, ‘Did you ask her where she was going or how she was going to get there?’ " the mother said. "They just took it at face value. She doesn’t have a car or a license." The girl began walking along the Bear Creek Greenway at about 7 p.m. Police have reported that at about 7:30 p.m., a man approached her on a bicycle. Another man struck her on the side of the head and knocked her down. A third joined in. The three allegedly raped the girl, who also suffered cuts and bruises. One man has been arrested in connection with the attack. Medford police are seeking two others. After the attack, the girl began walking home. She hitchhiked four or five miles and arrived at a friend’s house late that Friday night. The girl’s friend called the mother the next day to tell her about the attack. The mother took the girl to a local hospital and notified police. Meanwhile, the mother had called the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at about 5:30 p.m. Friday to report her daughter as a missing person. Sheriff Mike Winters confirmed the call Monday. "I did everything I possibly could," the mother said. The girl, who was listed as an honor student in eighth grade, started skipping classes last year, her mother said. The mother said she sent her to CrossRoads, the area’s largest alternative school, for help. "What can you do with a teenager? You can’t tie them to their bed," the mother said. "I’m not saying I’m absolving myself. I am sure there’s something I could have done differently." The girl is recovering from her injuries, her mother said. When she’s ready, the family will seek counseling. Although the incident has galvanized community concern about homelessness, the mother said that’s not the real issue. "The homeless people had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to her," the mother said. "It detracts from the basic issue of safety. Get a patrol going down there. That’s where the concern should be. It’s just plain safety." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s