Back to the beginning Corinne Newman page.

STATEMENT OF CORINNE NEWMAN November 16,1995 95-687
I am Sergeant Glenn Cramer of the Washington State Patrol, Internal Affairs Section. The date is Thursday, November 19, 1995. The time is approximately 2:00 p.m. The following notes are dictated from an interview that Lieutenant Dan Eikum and I conducted November 16, 1995 at 3:15 p.m. We met with Ms. Corinne Newman Thurston County Juvenile Court and Detention Facility.
Corinne indicated that she has the letter McCarten sent to Scott Nielsen reference the court ruling of October 20, 1992-she provided us with a copy. Also with the copy was a template type letter McCarten sent to Nielsen indicating he had sent this out to the case workers. The letter read that the court ruling had not been conducted and it mentioned he had sent the letters to the case workers indicating what the court had instructed about the police reports and the ongoing criminal police investigation. There was nothing mentioned in McCarten's letter stating he had informed the guardians at litem and the juvenile court judges of the affected areas that the boys of the OK Boys Ranch were from.
On March 11, 1993, Corinne said she met with a case worker Carole Sandy, and a probation officer Jim Norene who didn't have any knowledge of the motion hearing of October 20, 1992 regarding the police investigation and alleged physical and sexual abuse. She felt that case workers, parents, judges and guardians at litem outside the Region 6 area were not informed of the court ruling. She came to this conclusion after going to a conference in February of 1993. She told her peers, other administrators and judges, and no one knew of this. It wasn't until March 11, 1993, when the information got back to Carole Sandy and Jim Norene that she was called. She felt if this had gone out promptly she or Scott Nielsen would have received calls from judges and guardians at litem wanting to know what was going on at the OK Boys Ranch.
Corinne told us she was keeping extensive documentation on the number of days the boys at the OK Boys Ranch were spending at her detention facility. She started collecting these documents in 1986, and prior to that she suspected the boy's were spending an inordinate amount of time at her facility. She was very concerned about the types of criminal referrals they were receiving from the ranch as far as physical and sexual abuse. She communicated this to Commander Steve Nelson of the Olympia P. D. who she indicated was also keeping documentation and records concerning the Olympia P. D.'s involvement with the ranch.
During this conversation Corinne concluded by telling us that some time within the year of 1995, Linda Dalton of the Attorney General's Office contacted Superior Court Judge Paula Casey of Thurston County assuring her they would not be interviewing her and not to worry. Paula Casey told Corinne she was looking forward to having someone interview her because in October of 1992 she was concerned about the boys at OK Boys Ranch. She also said she contacted Jean Soliz to show her the Olympia P. D. reports pertaining to the physical and sexual abuse. At that time Jean Soliz told Paula Casey she'd do some research and get back with her-which Soliz never did. After Thanksgiving, according to Corine, Judge Casey followed-up another phone call to Jean Soliz concerning the events at the ranch. Corinne was not sure of the content of the second conversation with Soliz because she came by this knowledge about the phone call and the contacts with Paula Casey when Paula told her. The reason Casey had further information was due to Corinne's concern. Judge Casey is the administrative judge for Thurston County and deals with the risk management. Corinne voiced her concern to Judge Casey because of the amount of hours and days the boys from OK Boys Ranch were spending in the detention facility. She felt the county was paying too much for these boys to be staying there when they were being paid by DSHS to be monitored with close supervision. This concludes the conversation with Corinne Newman.

Below is an e-mail I received from a former Olympia, Washington resident.

From: ~~~~~~~~@aol.com
To: Louis Bloom manaco@whidbey.net
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 11:34 AM
Subject: OKBR
Just came across your pages and felt the urge to respond... In the early 80's (81-83) I was at the OKBR frequently as a young kid walking to/from school, I became friends with some of the boys. At one point a small boy confided to me that he was being raped by another boy in the home. The abusing boy talked about it openly!
Days later I walked the victim to OPD where we both gave statements. Later that evening I began to receive these incredibly threatening phone calls from a woman employee of the ranch who's name I believe was Paulette at my home. She kept calling over and over screaming at me calling me names. It was horrible. I thought I was helping someone. Nothing came of it. Then all these years later, it all comes out ... one of the boys that I had known there left as a young adult and still couldn't get it together, he eventually killed himself. As an adult now I don't often think back to those times but it still saddens me. All those boys that needed a safe nurturing place to be, and how many of them were better off for having been taken there? It's not about money. It cost these boys their lives, their souls, their trust. Those people who knew, who didn't care, they should feel such shame. Just my opinion.

From: louis a bloom manaco@whidbey.net
To: ~~~~~~~@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 7:30 PM
Subject: Re: OKBR
thanks for your e-mail. from what i've read, dshs, the olympia police department, and other "authorities" didn't consider child on child rape to be against the law. it was considered "normal experimentation". The "paulette" you mention, may have been Collette Queener who was an assistant director at the OKBR. Collette, OKBR Director Tom Van Woerdan, and OKBR counselor Laura Rambo Russell were ineptly charged by Wa. St. with "criminal mistreatment for failing to stop abuse". The charges were dismissed by Thurston County Judge Daniel Berschauer on technicalities. The lawyer who represented Collette Queener said, (Nov. 14, 1996 Olympian), that it was a "witch hunt", and that " a more innocent person (than Queener) you could not have for a client. She's an ex-nun ..... I don't see how you could view her in an evil or negative light."
I congratulate you for doing the right thing, when all those adults looked the other way. I repeat on most pages that the " OKBR has cost the Washington State taxpayers over $35 million dollars (so far)", because I think most people don't care about the kids involved, but they may care that it has cost them (taxpayers) money.
louis bloom

manaco@whidbey.net