Iowa's top court upholds Keokuk school director's sex abuse conviction on second appeal
A former boarding school director has lost his second appeal before the Iowa Supreme Court seeking to overturn his conviction for mistreating and sexually abusing students.
Benjamin Trane, owner of the Midwest Academy in Keokuk, was convicted in 2017 of assaulting and sexually exploiting a female student and was sentenced to nine years in prison. The school served about 100 students, many with histories of behavioral or substance-abuse issues, until it was shut down in 2016 after officials investigating widespread abuse allegations raided the property.
Trane appealed his conviction, arguing that the court failed to consider evidence that the minor victim had made other false claims of sexual abuse. In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that Trane was entitled to a hearing to determine whether the juvenile girl had indeed made other false claims, and that if so, he was entitled to a new trial.
As detailed in a new Supreme Court decision, issued Friday, the district judge did so. The court heard testimony from the girl, who alleged that she had been physically and sexually abused by her adoptive and foster parents, and from the parents, who denied her claims. The judge ruled Trane had failed to prove that "by a preponderance of the evidence, (the victim) made false allegations of sexual abuse against her adoptive parents or the foster parents” and denied his request for a new trial.
Previously:Midwest Academy highlights child welfare worries
In considering his second appeal, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the decision of the district judge.
"(The girl's) testimony constitutes substantial evidence that her allegations of sexual abuse were not false. The district court was entitled to believe her," Justice David May wrote. "... Certainly the district court could have found (the parents') denials were more persuasive. In that case, the court could have concluded that Trane carried his burden. But the court was under no obligation to reach that conclusion."
The court also rejected Trane's argument that the district judge wrongly refused to recuse himself, and that the court considered inadmissible evidence in its post-remand hearing. On the latter issue, the court ruled Trane either failed to object to the evidence at the time, or in some cases even introduced it first himself.
In addition to the girl's sexual abuse claims, Trane also was convicted of mistreating two male students who were repeatedly disciplined by being locked alone in a room for long periods, in one case totaling more than half the boy's total time at the school. Those allegations are among others brought by former students and their families in multiple lawsuits that alleged widespread sexual abuse by staff and other students at the school, mistreatment of student with special needs, and harsh and abusive discipline.
A 2016 Des Moines Register investigation found scores of police calls to the academy over the prior three years, including at least five alleging sexual abuse. Despite these warning signs, the school had never been inspected by any state agency in its 13-year history, and a subsequent review by the Department of Education found that it misstated its educational accreditations and affiliations.
An attorney for Trane did not respond to a message seeking comment on Friday's decision.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Boarding school director sex abuse case upheld by Iowa Supreme Court
