State v. Van Woerden

The defendants, Thomas Van Woerden, Collette Queener, and Laura Russell, were charged with seven to ten counts of criminal mistreatment in the second degree. The defendants operated the OK Boys Ranch, a group home for dependent and delinquent boys, which was closed following allegations of sexual and physical abuse among residents and by staff members. The State’s theory was that, as a result of the defendants’ failure to protect them from abuse, 10 boys developed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The statute under which the defendants were charged, RCW 9A.42.030, requires the State to…