Ex-Staffer Arrested On Sex Charges

A 39-year-old woman who worked at the Bonner County juvenile detention home has been arrested on charges of having sex with a former teenage inmate.

Carolyn Black of Sandpoint was charged with two counts of sexual battery of a minor Friday. She is suspected of twice having sex with a 16-year-old boy.

Neither incident occurred at the detention center where the boy had spent two months on burglary charges, said Sheriff Chip Roos.

Black had worked at the Boyer Avenue center, also known as “The House,” for almost two years.

Sheriff’s officials believe she and the teen got together after the boy was released from the center. Sheriff’s officials learned about the accusations of misconduct on Thursday, Roos said. They arrested Black later that night and, shortly thereafter, she was relieved of her duties at the detention center.

The incident has shaken the staff at the center and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Department.

“We feel that we’ve got a perfect record of always doing the right thing,” Roos said. “It hurts to arrest your own. But no one is above the law.”

The teenager stayed at the detention center from July 3 to Aug. 2, said Bonner County Undersheriff Nick Krager.

The two had their first sexual encounter on Aug. 18 and the second on Sept. 1, Roos said. One of the incidents took place at Black’s Sandpoint home, and the other took place 20 miles from the center, Krager said.

Officials would not say who tipped them to the suspected sexual misconduct but said the person was obligated by law to report it.

The juvenile center opened in 1992 and can hold six youths.

There are no bars or locked doors. Instead, staff members keep watch over the youths. Only non-violent offenders stay at the home.

Sgt. Pat Trammell, director of the center, said Black underwent a thorough background check before she was hired. The nationwide check turned up no criminal record.

“Everybody here that is involved is in shock,” Trammell said. “I don’t know what we could have done differently.”

Trammell said his facility far exceeds state requirements to ensure good employees are hired and the youths are safely cared for.

There are always two attendants on duty, although state regulations require only one staff member for every six youths. He also requires employees take 80 hours of specialized training in their first six months.

Trammell said Black was a good employee, but soft-hearted.

“They give you these sob stories and they are good at conning you and she was apparently very vulnerable to that,” Trammell said.

Black faces up to life in prison if convicted of the sexual battery charges. On Friday afternoon, a judge released her without bail from the jail.

“She crossed the line, she went too far,” Trammell said.

, DataTimes