By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
March 11, 2008

A Hood River woman was sentenced to 13 months in prison this week for allowing a 27-year-old man to have a sexual relationship with her pre-teen daughter.

The woman had been convicted in 2007 of stealing $175,000 from her 92-year-old mother.

“I think one of the lessons here is that when you have a person that’s willing to abuse those closest to him/her, it’s often the most vulnerable members of the family; the very old or the very young,” said Hood River County Deputy District Attorney Carrie Rasmussen.

“I think it’s important to look closely at all members of a family for potential victimization if you have anyone who has suffered from abuse.” (The name of the woman is being withheld from this story to protect the identity of her daughter).

The case involving multi-generational criminal mistreatment began in the summer of 2006. The woman was arrested for cleaning out her elderly mother’s bank accounts and admitted her guilt in court. She went to jail for 60 days in the spring of 2007 and was ordered by a judge to repay the money that had been stolen.

While the court proceedings were underway, the daughter was removed from the woman’s home by a state family service agency. She regained custody of the girl in August 2007 but was still on probation for the prior conviction.

About three months later, the woman began allowing an adult male to spend the weekend at their residence. She later told police that he helped the girl with homework and cleaned up her room. She knew that the man was sharing a bed with her daughter, who was less than half his age. The woman said he had “broken all their trust and confidence” with his resultant actions.

A criminal case is pending against the man and involves charges of second-degree rape and unlawful sexual penetration.

Rasmussen said the situation came to the attention of law enforcement officials after the daughter developed a medical condition due to sexual activity. She said the girl was taken days later by her mother to a public health clinic instead of the family’s regular doctor in hopes of circumventing mandatory reporting laws. When police were notified about possible sex abuse, the woman said she had been taking “baby steps” into the system with the hope of avoiding further sanctions.

The mother, who claimed to have 25 years of experience in a medical career, said she knew sexually transmitted infections were a risk for the girl. She acknowledged that it was unwise to wait days for the girl to be examined by a physician. But said her actions were dictated by the “greater fear” of losing custody once again.

“For the last two years I have been dealing with attorneys, police officers and, you name it, and it was like, ‘Excuse me, you know, back off,’” she said in a statement recorded by law enforcement officials.

The woman was recently found guilty of felony charges in a bench trial and sentenced by a judge on Monday to more than one year in prison. After serving time behind bars, she will spend 36 months on post-prison supervision. Her daughter is currently living in a foster home.