MASON CITY – Mason City police confirmed Thursday that investigators are looking into an alleged attempted sexual assault at the Four Oaks facility for troubled children in Mason City.
A source reported to NIT this week that a female was working at Four Oaks, located at 980 South Iowa Avenue, on the evening of February 6th through the morning of February 7th when, allegedly, a male co-worker made unwanted sexual advances upon the woman. According to an extremely detailed 16-page timeline given to NIT, the incident was graphic in nature.
After the incident, which was said to take place in close proximity to sleeping children, the alleged attacker asked the alleged victim if she was “OK” and if she “wanted some of his peanut M&M’s”.
The woman immediately made contact with family and supervisors and began to journal the alleged assault. It states that the alleged attacker made jokes and called the alleged victim a number of times in the ensuing minutes after the incident.
The timeline states that Four Oaks didn’t discuss going to police, and that the woman was told by a supervisor that she would not “ever have to be around him (the alleged attacker) without children around” and that a “safety plan” was being formulated for her. Statements from both the alleged victim and alleged attacker were turned in to Four Oaks human resources, the timeline states, and the alleged attacker was “removed” from the campus of Four Oaks by a supervisor who drove him home.
After her shift, the alleged victim was taken to Mason City police headquarters by a concerned party to fill out a report.
Police told NIT that investigator Jason Hugi “confirmed she made the report about the incident as you stated. Investigator Hugi is working the case. I can’t comment on much else about the investigation at this time.”
The officer also told NIT that the majority of cases the MCPD deals with from Four Oaks “involve runaways from the facility or the residents assaulting other residents or employees.”
NIT will report any new developments in this case.
ARE ANY OF YOU ACTUALLY READING THE FULL ARTICLE? THIS IS NOT ABOUT A EMPLOYEE ATTACKING A CHILD IT IS ABOUT A CO-WORKER FELLOW WORKER THEY BOTH WORKED THERE. CAN’T GET ANY CLEARER THAN THAT. STOP BASHING A PLACE YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. GRANTED I KNOW NOTHING OF THE STAFF OR OF FOUR OAKS BUT I DO KNOW ABOUT THE STAFF AND GERARD OF IOWA TREATMENT CENTER AND THEY WERE RELIABLE CARING PEOPLE. CHILDREN CAME FROM HOMES WHERE THEY WERE BEATEN MADE TO EAT THEIR OWN CRAP AND VOMIT ETC. YOU HAVE NO CLUE, THIS WAS A SAFE HAVEN AND A PLACE FOR KIDS TO LEARN HOW TO GET ALONG WITH PEERS LEARN SELF ESTEEM, WERE TOLD GOOD JOB ETC WHICH THESE KIDS DID NOT GET AT HOME. MY MOTHER PERSONALLY HAS NEVER GIVEN ME PRAISE DID NOT GIVE ATTENTION OR AFFECTION AND ANY ATTENTION ANYONE ELSE GAVE WAS (DON’T YOU THINK YOU GOT ENOUGH ATTENTION AT GERARD?) ANYWAY ENOUGH OF THAT JUST SICK OF PEOPLE NOT PAYING ATTENTION THEN BITCHING AND BASHING JUST TO BITCH. iT FURTHER STATES IN THIS ARTICLE THAT THE VICTIM (CO-WORKER) WAS ENSURED THAT SHE WOULD NOT HAVE TO BE ALONE WITH THIS CO WORKER UNLESS THEY WORKED THE SAME SHIFT WITH OTHERS PRESENT SO THEY WERE NOT ALONE TOGETHER. I WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY FIRED HIM OR TRANSFERED HIM SOMEPLACE ELSE IF THE ALLEGATIONS COULD NOT BE PROVEN. SOME FORM OF REPRIMAND SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN AND THE SAID VICTIM SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO CONTINUE SEEING AND DEALING WITH THIS PERSON ON A ROUTINE BASIS. THAT’S MY 2+ CENTS
Laurie Anne (Laurie Anne Hokenstad) Laurie Carney
Gerard of Iowa was nothing like it is now. It was a safe place for kids who otherwise lived in homes where they were beaten, sexually abused at home and had unthinkable things done to them. Gerard was a safe haven, a place to learn and grow and even make friends. I’d still have contact with the kids and staff that were there when I lived there if not for my mother interceding and throwing away my mail and my brothers step sister throwing away my scrapbook with friends signatures addresses and phone numbers in it. I never had many friends and still don’t and by some miracle I hope some of the people who knew me search for me and contact me. Laurie Anne 1980-1982 PemBrooke I’m on facebook
Very sad to hear of these things in general but to hear of this and kids so called dying at this place(if it used to be called Gerard of Iowa) which it appears to be the same place. There was no such crap going on when I lived there 33 years ago. And to call it a place for troubled kids, the state of Minnesota sent me there because I was being beaten at home, this place saved me and to this day is really the only happy, safe place I can think of. I can’t believe how bad things have gotten…
Four Oaks is a non-profit funded by tax dollars. It has politicians on their board and who contract with them. That’s why they continue to get away with the mistreatment of the children who are placed there. If you file a complaint about an abusive incident, it always comes back unfounded. Putting 8 and 9 year olds in the same dorm with teenagers is another red flag. These kids are already troubled and mixing the age groups can only lead to more trouble. WHO CARES????????? NO ONE
You are totally correct! They do not care about their children or employees. There should be cameras! There is nothing safe about this place at all!
Was this place call “Gerald of Iowa” at one time?
I am not denying that this may or may not have happened but that is why it is under investigation. There are cases where the women claim sexual assualt for looking in their direction. So please be wise before you put the allegations that this “monster” is a sexual predator. Also Four Oaks does have an HR department and I’m sure it was investigated through that department (not in Mason City). It is called allegations for a reason it’s being investigated. Four Oaks is a privately funded agency that does do background checks on all their employees. I think that most of these comments are harsh, irrational and ill-informed remarks. Four Oaks staff work very hard to ensure that the children there feel safe and protected as the homes that most of the children came from were not. So before you go and do your own investigation why don’t we let the police department and the HR department of Four Oaks deparment do theirs.
Why is the victim always re-victimized over being a victim? This was not merely an innocent person looking at someone the wrong way. A person is hurting because of this, know what you speak of before you speak of it! When an adult hurts an adult and offers them M&M’s, think about it, this is what predators do to hush children!
I was not denying that the incident did not happen. I was merely stating that we were not there so lets not be hasty with our remarks that were being thrown out there.
You go ahead and keep your blinders on, as for me, I never did care for them.
I just wanted to say thank you for that informative reply to the HR department of Four Oaks. I’ll put it in my memory bank.
If you think the children are troubled now, just wait till they get out of Four Oaks.
They will probably all turn to drugs and end up in the big house just like SUCKS is going to.
I would hope that if anyone working there or a client there, would come forward if this has happened to them. Or if anyone knows anyone that this has happened too, I would hope they would come forward, as I sure hope this monster will not be allowed to continue to work in a safe haven for abused and troubled children.
What are the requirements to work here? Do they have background checks for hiring? Do they Drug test potential employees. For the Love of God they work with Children! Even Charlie Brown does drug test and background checks! Wake up State of Iowa!
They check everything down to your eye sight, but no drug test………
First a kid is killed during a restraint, now sexual abuse? When is the state of Iowa going to step in and shut this place down? To think they have the audacity to ask for money to make a bigger building, any place with this track record isn’t getting a penny from me.
Four Oaks DOES provide some much needed services & DOES have some exceptional staff members. However, if he can mistreat an adult coworker, who’s to say he wouldn’t mistreat the children? Poor choice, whoever made it. Your top priority should be the safety of all who enter that building. No less than 2 people should be fired here.
I do believe, but am not 100% positive, that this place is privately owned/run. I wonder how many crimes have happened out there, that their lawyers were able to keep quiet.
Wow.