Young teens in group home accused of raping 11-year-old

Claudia Johnson and Siemny Chhuon, | KXTV-TV, Sacramento, Calif.

DAVIS, Calif. — Two teenage boys have been arrested, accused of raping an 11-year-old girl in the group home they shared, according to police here.

The teens had left the home, EMQ FamiliesFirst psychiatric treatment facility, without permission. The girl reported the assault, in which a 13- and 14-year-old boy held her down and forcibly raped her in a park, on June 4, several days after it occurred, Davis Police Lt. Glenn Glasgow said.

Davis police have received more than 500 calls from the group home, licensed to house 63 residents ages 6 to 17, since the first of the year, Glasgow said. In the past two weeks, several residents have been arrested for felony assault and several youth were taken into protective custody.

Investigators also have learned about other illegal incidents of sexual acts that took place away from the group home, which has cottages on a six-acre campus, Glasgow said. The teens have acknowledged other illegal activity such as theft, shoplifting and fighting. Their names are not being released because of their ages.

Families First is a level 14 group home, the highest level with the most troubled juveniles.

One of the home's residents, 14, said many of the problems there stem from lack of supervision.

Staff positions were cut in December, said the teen, who asked to remain anonymous because of fear of retribution. Not enough staff members are available to supervise the kids.

"They just let the kids walk off," the teen said. "And they don't supervise them at all."

He also said he witnessed workers abusing the kids.

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"It's really violent there," the teen said. "And the staff gives a lot of attitudes to kids and disrespect and are just too strict on the kids. And they tend to hurt the kids a lot."

The boy's father acknowledged that the children have problems, but the staff is indifferent.

"The kids have obviously done something, and they are there," he said. "It has the makings to be a fabulous place, but in my opinion, they're just there for a paycheck."

A spokesperson for Families First, based in Campbell, Calif., said 50 to 60 kids live at the Davis facility but declined to disclose its child-to-staff ratio. The non-profit operates juvenile mental-health treatment programs in 33 California counties.

"We are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of all the children on the campus and in the community," Gordon Richardson, the agency's Capital Region executive director, said in a statement. He also said EMQ FamiliesFirst is cooperating with investigators.

As part of the investigation, some children have been removed from the Yolo County facility, which is about 15 miles east of Sacramento, said Michael Weston, a spokesman for the California Department of Social Services.

"These are very serious circumstances. The safety of all children in the care of the facility is the top priority."