‘No one believed us’: 27 children taken from ‘Ranch for Kids’ after staff allegedly hit, kick, & use use nail gun as discipline [Reports]

Montana officials removed 27 children from a youth treatment center earlier this month after accusations of disturbing “chronic” child abuse and neglect.

The Lewiston Review reports that accusations against the ranch in Rexford include both mental and physical abuse against children dealing in issues that range from reactive attachment disorder to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). One child was reportedly shot with a nail gun, while other children were body-slammed, hit, kicked, and even spit on.

Staff members were also accused of making some of the children walk anywhere from 15 to 20 miles with improper shoes on, or sometimes with no shoes at all. They also allegedly withheld food from children and doled out ongoing psychological abuse.

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Some staff members failed to provide children with needed medications and failed to report runaway children to authorities in a timely manner, according to court documents.

The children ranged in ages from 11 to 17. Both boys and girls were enrolled at the ranch, although they were kept in separate quarters.

There are many people to thank for the safe removal of 27 children from a private program in Rexburg after reports of abuse and neglect. https://t.co/SkgCYsmWdT

— Missoulian (@missoulian) July 25, 2019

According to the Division of Criminal Justice Administrator, Bryan Lockerby, accusations against the ranch date back for a decade. During recent months, DPHHS received complaints that intensified in frequency, which prompted an emergency July 23 removal of the children.

Around 10 years ago, according to the Missoulian, Bill Sutley, executive director at Ranch for Kids, refused to let an inspector from the Department of Labor onto the premises to check on the children, according to court documents.

Inspector Rick Cockrell wrote that Ranch for Kids was the only place out of over 20 treatment facilities he inspected that turned him away, adding that Sutley acted in a “threatening” manner.

Last week, Sutley told the outlet that he was not a dangerous person and denied that abuse took place at the ranch. He also reportedly claimed the state didn’t allow the ranch to provide “proprietary treatment” that would allow the kids to heal.

Meanwhile, at least one staff member was relieved when a judge signed an emergency order for the state to remove the children. Former staff member Nia Stoken said she felt “a huge sigh of relief that the kids that were there are getting freed from the hell that they’ve experienced,” according to the Missoulian.