Child Counselor Gets Probation for Sex Crimes

(Glenwood Springs, Colorado) In February 2007, a 28-year-old child care counselor at the Emily Griffith Center in Rifle, Charalene Bera, was convicted 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.

Yesterday, Bera was sentenced by Judge Daniel Petre to 10 years' probation, a special intensive supervised version, despite the desires of Assistant District Attorney Jeff Cheney who wanted two years in prison.

Judge Petre, presiding over a courtroom of tears, might have been swayed in his ruling by an overriding sense of sympathy or compassion or a preference of not incarcerating female criminals.

An aunt and uncle said they traveled from Iowa to say what a good person she is and how they'd trust her with their kids. None of the boys who testified against Bera or their family members came to court.

Bera said she doesn't blame the troubled boys who testified against her for their lies, and telling authorities what they wanted to hear.

"I would never hurt anybody, ever," Bera said. "To be taken to jail - I would be hurting everyone because I wouldn't be able to take care of my grandmother, or the horses."

"All I was doing was helping because I thought I could change the world," she added later. "I didn't know boys could lie and deceive."

Judge Daniel Petre compared what he's learned of Bera to a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character.

"Sex offender intensive supervised probation, because it is so disruptive and so intensive, protects the public, provides deterrence ... and provides an element of punishment," Petre said. "It also opens the door to a much greater extent than prison does to rehabilitation."

Nevertheless, DA Cheney believes Bera's denial of guilt was a tactic to influence the sentence and that she is not in touch with reality. Also, a man convicted of sleeping with teen girls would go to prison. In closing, Cheney remarked, "Ms. Bera could not tell the truth if it hit her in the face."

Well, apparently the judge believed her.


[Update 09/22/07]

Oops! Charalene got arrested.

Charalene Dawn Bera, 29, was arrested by a Mesa County Sheriff's Department deputy on Sept. 11 and posted a $1,000 bond, authorities said.

According to an arrest affidavit, Bera went to the Sheriff's Department to register on Sept. 5.

However, she allegedly made false statements to deputies about registering with the Grand Junction Police Department but did not complete a Police Department registration form. Bera was arrested at her grandmother's house in Grand Junction after failing to return phone messages from a deputy or to register, the affidavit said.

It appears that Bera has little respect for the law.

Tip: Don Morgenstern