Schauermann Thayer PS: Eight Survivors File Lawsuit Alleging Decades of Sexual Abuse at Clark County Juvenile Detention Facility -- Attorneys Believe More Victims and Witnesses May Come Forward
PR Newswire
VANCOUVER, Wash., Feb. 26, 2026
VANCOUVER, Wash., Feb. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight survivors filed a civil lawsuit against Clark County alleging widespread and systemic sexual abuse of children held at the County's juvenile detention facility over a span of decades. The complaint, filed in Clark County Superior Court, describes repeated acts of rape, molestation, sexual exploitation, and retaliation committed by detention staff against children as young as 13.
The lawsuit alleges that Clark County failed in its most fundamental duty: to protect children placed in its custody. Instead, according to the Complaint, the County allowed a culture of abuse to flourish through chronic mismanagement, inadequate supervision, negligent hiring and retention, and the failures to properly investigate or stop known misconduct.
The survivors, identified by their initials in the complaint, were detained at the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center between 1978 and 2014. They allege that staff members used their authority to isolate, groom, threaten, and sexually abuse children under the guise of discipline, work assignments, and routine procedures such as strip searches.
"This case is about an institutional failure that spanned generations," said Scott Edwards, one of the attorneys representing the survivors. "Children were entrusted to the County's care; instead of protection, they were subjected to sexual violence and intimidation."
According to the Complaint, staff members allegedly:
- Conducted invasive and unlawful strip searches;
- Isolated children in supply closets, laundry rooms, cells, and other "blind spots" without supervision;
- Used threats of extended detention, loss of privileges, or physical harm to silence victims;
- Provided contraband, food, and special privileges to groom children;
- Failed to investigate reports of abuse or allowed accused staff continued access to children.
The plaintiffs allege that despite state and federal laws, including Washington's Custodial Sexual Misconduct statute and the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), Clark County failed to implement or enforce meaningful safeguards to protect youth in custody.
"The pattern, duration, and similarity of these allegations strongly suggest there are many more victims," said Sara Schirato, the other attorney representing the victims. "We believe there are former detainees, and possibly even former staff, who witnessed misconduct or were themselves abused and have not yet come forward."
The case is in Clark County Superior Court, D.K., D.J., E.P., H.E., J.W., J.C., S.B., Z.C. v. CLARK COUNTY, Clark County Superior Court, Case No. 26-2-00732-06.
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