New Mexico police search for teens missing from youth ranch that was under investigation

By Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Nine teenagers were missing Friday from a southern New Mexico ranch for troubled youth after staff members at the ranch were accused of beating and shackling students, and authorities said they believed they were hiding somewhere on the 30,000-acre ranch.

State police spokesman Emmanuel Gutierrez said officers went to Tierra Blanca High Country Youth Program in Sierra County after ranch officials were served a court order to send the kids back to their parents or surrender them to the state.

“No one was there,” Gutierrez said. “So, right now, we are actively searching. We have aircraft, we have other law enforcement agencies to assist. ... We have a lot of manpower.”

Last week, the Albuquerque Journal reported that state authorities were investigating claims that teenage boys were beaten and forced to wear leg shackles and handcuffs for minor violations of rules at the unlicensed program.

The operators of the ranch, Scott and Collette Chandler, deny any children have been harmed. And they filed a lawsuit earlier this week accusing investigators of targeting the ranch for closure following a fatal car crash involving students.

The operators also claimed investigators have been illegally interviewing students and telling parents to pull their children from the program by Friday or face abuse charges. Their lawsuit said at least one family was contacted directly by Gov. Susana Martinez, a claim her office denies.

A spokesman for the state Children, Youth and Families Department said the ranch had 12 students but two went home after the investigation began and one turned 18.

“We’ve got orders to take custody of nine,” spokesman Henry Varela said. “We are looking feverishly right now.”

The Chandlers had sought an emergency court hearing to halt the investigation. They also traveled to Albuquerque on Thursday with two graduates of their program for a news conference.

“I’ve never seen anyone beaten,” said Kevin Finch, now a freshman at Western New Mexico University. “The accusations are downright lies.”

Another graduate, Jon Cowen, said the program “turned my life around 180 degrees.”

Chandler said Tierra Blanca has been operating for more 15 years. Its website promises a program for unmanageable kids that offers a balance of love, discipline and structure. It is unclear how many such programs are operating in New Mexico or around the country, as many are unlicensed.

“That’s the problem,” said Varela, noting that the Tierra Blanca is the only such program in New Mexico of which state officials were aware.

He said the administration will push for legislation next year to regulate such programs so authorities know where any programs housing kids more than 60 days are operating and so officials are “able to go in and make sure that whatever youth are in there are safe.”