Teacher arrested after pregnant teen reports assault

Jeffrey Wolf updated by: Anastasiya Bolton Date last updated: 7/27/2009 6:26:30 PM

Associated Images

ESTES PARK – A teacher is accused of sexual assault after investigators say he got a 16-year-old student pregnant.

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 34-year-old Anthony Ruiz, a former social studies teacher at Eagle Rock School.

Administrators at the school told the sheriff’s office a former student told them she had been sexually assaulted by Ruiz in May 2009.

Robert Burkhardt, head of Eagle Rock School, told 9NEWS the former student called a member of the staff on Wednesday, July 22 and told that member about the incident.

Burkhardt says the school immediately contacted Child Protective Services and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department.

The teen, who is currently with her family in California, told investigators the assault happened one time and she became pregnant.

No other assaults have been reported by this student or any other students at the school, but deputies are talking with other students to get more information.

Last Friday, investigators contacted Ruiz and arrested him on one count of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

Burkhardt tells 9NEWS he put Ruiz on administrative leave Friday and fired him Saturday.

“This place operates in the world of trust,” Burkhardt said. “This trust was violated.”

Burkhardt says the 16-year-old was first enrolled at the school in January 2008. She left in early to mid July.

Ruiz is currently being held without bond at the Larimer County Detention Center. The sheriff’s department says if Ruiz is convicted, he could get up to 12 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

He was hired by Eagle Rock School in July 2008.

Eagle Rock School is a private, year-round alternative high school. Students from around the U.S., ages 15 through 19, are enrolled there.

Burkhardt released a full statement on Monday afternoon:

“The faculty and staff of Eagle Rock School are both shocked and saddened at reports of inappropriate and inexcusable conduct between a member of the faculty, and a student. Eagle Rock School is founded on trust, and this reported incident clearly violates that trust.

This is a matter of utmost seriousness. As soon as these allegations were reported, school officials contacted local law enforcement and social services. The school has been fully cooperating with these agencies to investigate this matter. School officials have also reached out to the former student, who is no longer on campus, and to her mother, to offer assistance.

In addition, parents and sponsors of students have been informed of these circumstances and assured that the safety of Eagle Rock students is our primary concern. Special counseling for all students, male and female, is underway.

Eagle Rock School maintains a strict Standard of Conduct for students, faculty and staff. In light of this matter, these Standards have again been communicated and reinforced to the entire Eagle Rock community. In addition, the school is conducting an immediate and intensive internal review of these policies to strengthen and enhance them.

The Instructional Specialist in question, Mr. Anthony Ruiz, was an employee of Eagle Rock School from July 7, 2008, until July 25, 2009, when he was immediately terminated for conduct in direct violation of the Standards of Conduct at Eagle Rock School.

Eagle Rock School, in Estes Park, Colorado, is a year-round private residential high school for students 15-19 who have not experienced success in traditional academic programs, who did not expect to graduate from high school, and who are committed to changing their lives for the better. The school, which has a capacity of 96 students, was established in 1993.

Out of respect for the privacy of our students, and due to the fact that this is an ongoing legal matter, Eagle Rock School will be unable to say anything further at this time.”
(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved)

Source: http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=120246&provider=top&catid=188

Pathway Family Center has told parents the program will be closing Friday, July 17.

July 16, 2009: Pathway Family Center has told parents the program will be closing Friday, July 17.

On July 14, 2009, we announced that the owner of the property leased by the Indianapolis Pathway Family Center facility had filed a “COMPLAINT FOR EVICTION AND DAMAGES AND TO ACCELERATE RENTS” against the program. Today, July 24, 2009, we learned the case was settled out of court. Details will be posted here as they become available.
Click here to see the lawsuit

The Pathway programs are direct descendants of Straight, Inc.

Straight, Inc. is considered to be one of the most abusive programs in United States history and
has been classified as a cult.

Straight, Inc. Michigan closed in 1993, not long after the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that “Michigan regulators plan to inspect the facility weekly, after finding the program had twice inappropriately restrained clients, injuring one. Michigan has ordered the program to get a residential license, entailing more stringent inspection of host home arrangements.”

Helen Gowanny, the director of Straight, Inc. Michigan, along with the parents of some graduates, then opened Pathway Family Center.

Terri Nissley, the current director of Pathway Family Center, was one of those parents. Her daughter is a graduate of Straight, Inc. Michigan.

The after-care coordinator at the Indiana facility is reported to be a Straight, Inc. graduate as well.

A relative of Ambassador Mel Sembler – the founder of Straight, Inc. – was a client at Pathway and ISAC has received reports
that the child was allowed to fly to Florida for the weekends.

Other children in the facility are not offered such privileges.

Former clients have told ISAC that Mel and Betty Sembler were named on the “host home list” even though they live in Florida and Pathway is located in
Michgan and Indiana.

According to survivors, the program is still very much like Straight, Inc.

Contrary to the claims of parents, this news footage shows that first phase clients weren’t allowed to wear shoes in the building in 2003.

One survivor has reported being forced to wear wet socks
and pants all day after a toilet overflowed in the facility.

He requested permission to change his soiled clothing, and was refused.

A 2003 investigation by ISAC revealed that Pathway was placing children in host/foster homes even though they are not licensed by the state to do so.

As a result of our investigation and subsequent report, Pathway Family Center was placed on probation by the Council on Accreditation (COA) in 2003.

Pathway director Terri Nissley, then sent these letters to representatives of various state agencies.

In the letters, Nissley deliberately directed people to the wrong website, said ISAC is “fighting on behalf of the disease,” and accused us of using “unethical and inappropriate methods” to discredit the program when in FACT, we filed formal complaints with the appropriate state agencies and the Council on Accreditation.

In March 2006, Pathway Family Center acquired control of Kids Helping Kids (details located below).

Kids Helping Kids was formerly known as Straight Midwest.

Please visit our Kids Helping Kids page for more information.

In 2007, Pathway was again put on probation by the Council on Accreditation. Instead of fixing the problems that led to probation, Pathway applied for, and was granted accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

Pathway Family Center has been evicted

This is basically video of an empty parking lot and a vacant building. Pathway Family Center was evicted for not paying rent for several months. I posted this video taken from the day of the eviction on youtube.

The remaining 11 Pathway kids are being held at secret host homes 24/7, and it is rumored that Pathway will be closing mid-August. At this time, no one has mentioned where these kids are being held exactly.

It is rumored that Terri Nissley is working with parents to start a Pathway spinoff under a different name at a different location and to be run as a non-profit under the names of some of the parents. I hope this does not happen as it has in the past.

Peter Paul vs. Hillary Clinton

http://www.paulvclinton.com/

Fuck That Shit!

So very true!!

Source: http://xkcd.com/137/