Oregon man admits to day care abuse
Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:36 PM PDT
EUGENE (AP) — A 19-year-old man has admitted molesting 11 children at his mother’s in-home day care center over the past two years.
In a plea bargain, Mason Morrell of Springfield was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison on counts involving two girls.
In exchange for what prosecutor Mike Pugh called ‘‘a significant break,’’ Morrell identified all his victims during a lie detector session.
Pugh said Morrell was able to give only first names of many of the victims, and authorities are trying to identify all to make sure they get counseling.
‘‘It was important that we identify these victims as best we could,’’ Pugh told Judge Karsten Rasmussen.
The victims were boys and girls ages 3 to 6. One of the girls told her mother about the abuse.
Morrell was not employed at the day care, but as an adult over the age of 18 in the home, he was required to undergo a background check.
He had no criminal background.
The mother of one victim, a 3-year-old sodomized during a toilet training session, sobbed as she addressed Morrell in court.
‘‘I’ve lost confidence in my ability to parent and protect my own child,’’ she said.
Outside the courtroom, she said her son seems to have compartmentalized the abuse through counseling.
‘‘He believes that this is a game gone awry,’’ she said. ‘‘He hasn’t been impacted in a huge way.’’
Morrell’s mother, Heidi Spalding, said the day care operation, certified by the state, remains open.
