Investigation Details Allegations of Abuse
By Clark Kauffman, Des Moines Register Staff Writer
Originally published in the Des Moines Register, June 14, 2001
A former Mason City youth counselor is accused of routinely abusing children by tying them up, hitting them and denying them food.
The allegations are contained in a state report that reveals for the first time details about the treatment of certain children at the Gerard of Iowa care facility in Mason City.
The home is being investigated in the Feb. 9 death of 11-year-old Tanner Wilson. Tanner was a resident of the home for children with behavioral and psychological disorders when he died while being physically restrained by two workers.
Cerro Gordo County Medical Examiner Dale Andres has classified Tanner's death as a homicide. A Gerard employee, Lori Ann Ingham of Swaledale, is charged with child endangerment.
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals' investigation into Tanner's death led to confirmation of other allegations of abuse at the home.
The department's report indicates that a Gerard youth counselor in March tied a male resident's ankles with a bathrobe belt, then secured the child's wrists with a necktie. The counselor then tied the loose ends of the tie and the belt together behind the child's back.
The child was forced to hobble into the dining room on his knees, where he was denied dinner. After complaining of pain, the child remained tied up for two hours. During that time, the youth counselor allegedly tossed a ball at the child, poured shampoo over the child's head and placed a shoe over the child's face, forcing him to smell it.
The youth counselor was later fired. Another worker who observed the incident but didn't intervene also was fired.
The youth counselor and a third employee also are alleged to have routinely played with the home's PlayStation video game for hours at a time while they were supposed to be monitoring the children. Two children at the home allegedly acknowledged that for months they routinely engaged in sexual activity while the two workers amused themselves with the PlayStation game.
The youth counselor reportedly told investigators that on 10 occasions during the past year he had tied up four or five children at Gerard. He reportedly said that he used an electrical cord to tie one child to a table, after which he poured water on the child's head.
That same worker also is alleged to have paid a child to eat dirt and to have singled out another child for discipline because the youth was perceived to be gay. He also is alleged to have routinely hit some of the children in the buttocks and the arm.
The worker told investigators he often gave the children "wedgies," according to the report. On one occasion, a child was allegedly held to the floor by two workers, one of whom pulled the child's underwear to the point where it ripped.
The report alleges that between October 1999 and March 2001, children at the home made 79 allegations of abuse. The allegations were recanted in 70 of the cases.
Names of the workers were not disclosed.
Gerard's executive director, Mark Neibauer, said that while it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the allegations in the report, he is working to resolve any concerns raised by the state.
"The misbehavior of a small number of individuals does not represent the values of Gerard or its staff, nor were their actions indicative of the overall standard of care we provide," he said.
The home was cited for violating state rules pertaining to the use of restraints, the reporting of child-abuse allegations and the handling of criminal background checks on workers. The Department of Human Services has restricted Gerard's license to operate through July 1.
