Woman pleads guilty in sex abuse case
Janis Ribeiro, 49, had sexual relationship with two area 15-year-old boys
By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Thursday, January 17, 2008 1:08 PM PST
VALE — A former Ontario woman pleaded guilty to two counts of felony sex abuse involving sexual intercourse with two 15-year-old boys Tuesday in Malheur County Circuit Court.
Janis Ribeiro, 49, Burns, was sentenced to 60 days in the Malheur County Jail — 30 of those in the work release program — three years supervised probation, fees amounting to a little more than $1,000 and a supervised aftercare sexual offender treatment program after she pleaded guilty to the two charges. Both charges of second degree sex abuse are Class C felonies.
Ribeiro already completed 90 days of sexual offender treatment at a private inpatient facility in Dallas, Texas. She entered the treatment program in October and was released Thursday.
According to documents from the Malheur County District Attorney’s office, the first count of sex abuse asserted between April 26 and May 15 of 2007 Ribeiro “did unlawfully and knowingly subject a juvenile male to sexual intercourse, the said juvenile now consenting thereto as a matter of law.”
The second count charges state, between May 12 to May 19, 2007, Ribeiro “did unlawfully and knowingly subject a second male juvenile to deviate sexual intercourse.”
According to police reports, Ribeiro, in some instances, met with the two boys — both 15 at the time of the incidents — at night, picking them up outside their homes. Then Ribeiro and the victims would drive to a secluded location where they engaged in sexual intercourse and/or oral sex.
Police were notified by the parents of one of the juveniles and in the other case by an adult acquaintance of the second juvenile. In addition, police also confiscated sexually explicit e-mails and online chat and text messages exchanged between Ribeiro and her victims during their investigation.
Neither of the two boys were present at Tuesday’s plea hearing, although the attorneys of both the victims’ parents, and one set of parents, did attend.
The parents of one victim and their attorney, Bruno Jagelski, of Yturri Rose LLP, did speak at the hearing.
In their testimony, the parents of one of the victims said they were unhappy with the sentence in the plea agreement and said they had only heard of the pact a couple of days ago.
Norris, however, said all parties had been informed in November a plea hearing would take place in January, although that day could not be established because it was unknown when Ribeiro would complete her treatment program. Ribeiro was both arraigned and entered her guilty plea and was sentenced Tuesday.
Norris said from the onset of the case, both sets of parents of the victims and the victims themselves wanted the proceedings to take place as quickly as possible.
He said the parents of both victims wanted to spare their children from testifying in court and sought to avoid the kind of publicity and scrutiny sparked when Cheryl Nawahine, Fruitland, was arrested and indicated on sexual misconduct charges allegedly involving a 17-year-old boy last fall.
Norris said, although he understood the pain and sadness the family is going through, as well as the parents’ reactions in the courtroom, the judge actually issued the maximum penalty under Oregon state law in cases such as these.
The crimes were not a Measure 11 offense, and because the victims in this case were 15, statutory rape did not apply in this circumstance.
“And I understand the victims’ concerns,” Norris said of the parents. “But the judge was very limited in what the law allowed him to do.”
