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Shelter incidents allege rape, sex abuse Potential civil suits involve separate supervisors, same night By Jonel Aleccia TALENT � Two adult supervisors at a Community Works youth shelter are accused of raping a 15-year-old boy and sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl, a lawyer for the alleged victims said Friday. The incidents, both alleged to have occurred on the evening of March 2, were detailed in notices of potential civil lawsuits filed against the Youth Diagnostic Shelter and the agencies that fund it, said Kelly L. Andersen, a Medford lawyer. "The essence of the boy�s claim is that a female adult worker gave him some cigarettes in exchange for sexual intercourse," Andersen said. "The girl�s allegation is that she was allowed to go outside the facility to a parked van to see her boyfriend and when she returned, the adult male who allowed her to go insisted that in exchange she show him her breasts." Notices detailing the legal claims were delivered to Jackson County and state officials on March 27 in the boy�s case and on April 2 in the girl�s case, county records show. The alleged incidents sparked a two-week criminal investigation by the Oregon State Police. Sgt. Kurt Barthell said Friday the investigation is continuing. The incidents also prompted an investigation by a team of state and county juvenile experts, who discovered a possible third accusation of abuse, county Health and Human Services Director Hank Collins said Friday. Collins declined to elaborate on that incident. The team of experts agreed Thursday to remove all clients from the center for youth ages 10 to 17. The young people were transferred from the shelter at 5605 S. Pacific Highway to temporary care. Andersen said the boy�s case was reported after a fellow resident at the shelter discovered the Eagle Point youth and the adult female supervisor having sex. The girl, from Medford, reportedly told her mother about the alleged sexual abuse. The two adults apparently were the only supervisors on duty that evening, Andersen said. "The setting of adults watching youth and especially youth who are vulnerable is an invitation for pedophiles and for people with sexual predatory natures," he said. "I think that there have to be ultra special precautions taken to screen out predators. And I think that it has been the right thing to close the shelter until they can bring into place some quality assurance and some safeguards." Arnie Green, executive director of Community Works, said in a prepared statement Friday that the 27-year-old shelter recently passed program audits from the Oregon Youth Authority and the state Services to Children and Families Division. The 16-bed facility was also recently re-licensed by the state licensing authority, he added. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.