No agency certified Gage home for girls

The State of Oregon considered certifying the home operated by Steven Gage for "troubled" female juveniles as far back as October, 1998, but decided not to do so.

Gage closed Royal Haven Equestrian Center for Girls near Sisters in December, 1999 as the State Office for Services to Children and Families (SCF), Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and the Oregon State Police began investigating the facility.

Gage, 43, was sentenced on January 31, 2001 to 45 years behind bars on 27 counts of theft, criminal mistreatment and sex abuse of teenage females under his care.

Certification may have brought the ranch under closer scrutiny but there is no guarantee it would have prevented years of abuse suffered by some the girls.

In October 1998, the SCF attempted to certify the Gage facility as a "foster home," but Gage resisted, claiming his operation was exempt from certification under state law. Gage claimed that Royal Haven was affiliated with the Sisters School District.

Gage also made this claim to parents of girls sent to Royal Haven.

Gage had gone to some lengths to create and cement a relationship with the schools.

His partner in Royal Haven, Karen Lee, served on the Sisters School board. At the time, Gage falsely told people that he and Lee were married. Criminal abuse charges against Lee were dropped as part of the plea agreement that sent Gage to prison. Gage also offered to serve and was designated as a volunteer truant officer. Gage had an office space at the high school, for which he paid one month's rent.

During this period of time, Gage also had an agreement with the Sisters School District, signed on March 18, 1998 by Superintendent Steve Swisher, that specified that "(Royal Haven Equestrian) Ranch agrees to serve as a residential and alternative education site for residential students enrolled in their program...the Ranch agrees to provide a residential site for students enrolled at Sisters High School or one of its alternative school sites."

Swisher said he was attempting to get documents on several sites, not just the Gage home, that would describe what each party would and would not do.

Gage, who has not responded to requests for interviews, may have known that if he were able to use this document to convince SCF that his operation was a school board - approved boarding school, he would not be subject to oversight by SCF.

But SCF was still not convinced. On October 23, 1998, Jack Evans of SCF wrote to Swisher that SCF had been advised by the Oregon Department of Justice "that the Gage home most likely falls within the scope of foster care and should be certified as such."

According to Evans, foster homes need to be certified. However, there are exceptions, Evans wrote, which include "Any boarding school that is essentially and primarily engaged in educational work; or any home in which a child is provided board and room by a school board."

"...If either situation is true, the Gage home would not fit the definition of a foster home," Evans wrote.

Swisher replied to Evans on October 27, 1998, saying that "the Gage home has been declared as an alternative learning site for the Sisters School District. Students at that site take classes at our high school site as well as continued inter-sessions, summer school and other work at the Gage home.

"We supply the tutors and instruction for the education component at the Gage home as well as when students are taking classes at Sisters High School..."

Evans wrote back to Swisher on November 27.

"...It appears that the Sisters School district considers this home to be a public alternative school. Could you please tell us if the Sisters School Board has formally taken action to approve the Gage home as an alternative school--as part of the Sisters School District? If so, is the Gage home covered under the Sisters School District insurance?"

Swisher responded on December 7.

"...The Sisters School Board has taken action to authorize a broad-based alternative learning program in the district. This includes a distinctive alternative school called the Sisters Flex School, and multiple off-campus sites where we send district tutors to work with students...Steve Gage's home is one of the sites in addition to Bridges Academy and the homes of several of our home school parents."

Swisher added that district staff are covered by district insurance when working at an alternative site.

Swisher also said that students in the home "are all under Steve Gage's guardianship in that he has a Power of Attorney on each individual...the educational component of this program is covered by district insurance. Steve Gage's property and other personal liabilities are not covered under district insurance."

Evans wrote back to Swisher on January 11, 1999, informing the school superintendent "that the Gage home fits the definition of an alternative education program as part of the Sisters School district. As such, the Gage home would not qualify as a foster home requiring SCF certification or as a residential treatment program requiring SCF licensing. As an educational entity, the Gage home falls under the Department of Education's rules as applied by the school district.

"We are confident that the Sisters School District will ensure that Department of Education safety standards are in place at the Gage home..."

Swisher told the newspaper that he did not respond in writing to Evans' January 11 letter, but supplied a calendar page noting a meeting with another SCF representative, Dale Paulsen, on January 21, 1999 to clarify the situation.

Swisher said the conversation with Paulsen covered the fact that the school district did not supervise activities at the home, only provided tutoring for the girls at the ranch.

So, was the Gage home a foster home, and subject to certification by SCF? Or was the home an educational entity under the supervision of the Sisters School district?

Vic Congleton, program manager for the technical assistance program at SCF, said Jack Evans, who is no longer with SCF, made the decision. Congleton would not speculate on whether it was the correct one.

He did say that "we are really interested in ensuring SCF licensing does the best job it can from here into the future. That includes clarifying what the responsibilities are for any given program."

As to the Gage home, Congleton would only say "that we learn from experience."

Ultimately, Steven Gage is the one who committed the crimes. It appears he manipulated the system so that he was accountable to no one.

Gage attempted hang himself in jail on March 11. He has since been transferred to the Oregon State Prison which is better equipped to handle suicidal inmates.