Prosecutors allege second victim in Sonoma Valley's Hanna Boys Center molest case

A Hanna Boys Center official was charged Tuesday with having sex with a second teenage resident, and authorities warned the case could expand to include up to four more people.

Kevin Scott Thorpe, clinical director of the Sonoma Valley facility, was remanded into custody and held on $1.5 million bail after prosecutors added 12 counts reflecting acts over a two-year period, from 2007 to 2008.

The second resident, John Doe 2, now 24, was identified by the first accuser, who also named a third person believed to have been molested by Thorpe, Sonoma County sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum said.

Detectives are pursuing the names of up to three additional people and more charges could be forthcoming, Crum said.

“All of them are in their 20s now and all are past residents,” Crum said.

Thorpe’s next court date is July 11.

The 39-year-old Rohnert Park resident has been a counselor at the Catholic Church-based center for at-risk boys for 14 years. He was appointed clinical director this fall, supervising staff counselors and interns while guiding treatment plans for all students.

Deputies arrested him at his home June 10 after a former resident, now 23, came forward with allegations stemming from 2009. Initially, he was charged with three counts of oral copulation by fear or duress.

The same offenses are alleged in the 12 new charges.

At the request of state prosecutors, Judge Robert LaForge on Tuesday suspended Thorpe’s counseling license. He remains on administrative leave but has been barred by state regulators from working in a child care setting.

Thorpe’s case is the latest challenge for the 70-year-old nonprofit on Arnold Drive.

His predecessor as clinical director, Timothy Norman, filed a $2.7 million whistleblower lawsuit against Hanna’s top managers, claiming he was fired after lodging complaints about unchecked bullying at the center. Center officials have denied the allegations, but state investigators in an April 20 report produced by the California Community Care Licensing division of the Department of Social Services found a “preponderance of evidence” supporting Norman’s claims about bullying.

That lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial next year.

Last fall, a 22-year-old female counselor was fired and charged with molesting a 17-year-old male.

Brian Farragher, Hanna’s executive director for the past three years, acknowledged the setbacks Tuesday but said each incident is separate and does not reflect on the facility’s success.

Farragher commended those who came forward, saying they showed bravery by “finding their voices” and reporting any abuse.

“I hope that if there are any other kids who were injured or feeling mistreated, they would do same,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312.