Canaan, New York - Berkshire Farm Center Employee Kelli Wagers Charged with Sexual Abuse

Berkshire Farm Center Employee Charged with Sexually Abusing Minor

An employee of the Berkshire Farm Center and Services For Youth was arrested on June 17 after other staff members reported suspected sexual abuse to State Police Investigators.

39-year-old Kelli R. Wagers, a clinician at the facility, was arrested and has been charged with two felony counts of a criminal sex act. She has also been charged with misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of sexual abuse.

Investigators believe that Wagers committed two acts of sexual abuse at the facility with a victim who was under 17 years of age.

She was arraigned in the Town of Livingston Court and was sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bail or $30,000 secure bond.

Legal Recourse For Victims of Sexual Abuse in Youth Programs

Hi, I’m attorney Laurence Banville. Survivors of sexual abuse often wonder how they can find the justice and support they need and deserve for the trauma they’ve suffered. In many cases, these survivors may have legal recourse by filing a civil lawsuit. Here is some general information regarding the legal options available to victims of child sex abuse in youth programs and those looking for a child sexual abuse lawyer:

Programs that help disadvantaged or traumatized youth are valuable resources in their communities. However, it’s also important that the people running these programs ensure that the youth in these programs are safe. Sadly, virtually any field that involves adults working with children can be vulnerable to sexual predators. Youth programs have a legal duty to do everything they can to protect the kids under their watch from these predators.

When a child is sexually abused by an adult employee in a youth program, it’s important to both prosecute the abuser and to determine if the program was partially responsible for failing to prevent or stop the abuse. In some cases, these cases of sexual abuse may have been preventable if not for negligence.

When negligence is determined to have played a role in a case of sexual abuse, the victims and their families may have grounds for a lawsuit.

If you or a loved one is a survivor of sexual abuse in a youth program, you can learn more about your legal rights by speaking with an experienced sex abuse survivors lawyer.

Sources:

https://www.hudsonvalley360.com/article/youth-caretaker-charged-sex-offenses