Child Counselor Convicted of Sex Crimes

(Glenwood Springs, Colorado) A 28-year-old child care counselor at the Emily Griffith Center in Rifle, Charalene Bera, was convicted Tuesday by a jury of charges related to engaging in sex with three boys in her care.

The 9th Judicial District Court jury found Bera guilty of sexual assault on a child 15- to 17-years-old by a person in a position of trust, sexual assault on a child, and unlawful sexual contact.

From PostIndependent.com:

At the time of the incidents early last year, two of the boys were 17 and one was 15. Each had been legally ordered to be at the center for troubled youth for crimes they had committed such as burglary, theft, assault on a police officer and drug use.

The 15-year-old said Bera came into his room one night after lights out while doing a "room check" and performed oral sex on him. His 17-year-old roommate testified that he walked in on them while coming back from the bathroom. He said he grabbed his Playstation Portable and left to "give them their time." She came back later and sat on his bed, eventually having sex with him, he said.

The second 17-year-old said he later escaped from the center by climbing down a rope from a second-story window after telling Bera and another counselor of his plans. He went to her apartment in Parachute after contemplating killing himself by jumping off a bridge, and had sex with her on her bed. He said she had offered to help him escape, and they drove to Delta where they were arrested on their way to Cortez. A supervisor from the center had trailed them and alerted police while receiving tips from the boy's mother via cell phone.

Bera's defense was that the boys were creating a story. The jury was obviously not convinced.

Judge Daniel Petre scheduled a sentence hearing for April 27th. Bera remains free on bond.


[Update 08/30/07]

Bera sentenced to probation.