Montana complaint against adoption agency has ties to ranch accused of abuse
TRACI ROSENBAUM | Great Falls Tribune
A conservator on behalf of one of 27 children removed from the Ranch for Kids has filed a federal complaint against an adoption agency for not completing post-adoption reports and not investigating the child’s treatment at the ranch.
The following information is according to U.S. District Court documents.
The plaintiff, Kristin Mayer, is the conservator for a boy who is now 18 years old. To protect his identity, the Tribune will refer to him as John Doe.
Doe was born in China, and the Chinese government assumed his care after he found abandoned as an infant.
Dr. Patrick and Tari Butler received permission to adopt Doe in 2015 when the boy was about 13. The Butlers are a married couple living in Illinois.
The adoption organization was Madison Adoption Associates.
The Butlers brought Doe to the U.S. from China in March 2015 and completed the adoption process, making Doe an American citizen.
Not long after the adoption, the Butlers decided they no longer wanted custody of Doe. Four months after bringing him over from China, the Butlers sent Doe to Idaho with the goal of “rehoming” him with another family.
For unknown reasons, that process was not completed in Idaho.
In December 2015, Doe was sent to the Ranch for Kids near Rexford in Montana.
At the time, the ranch billed itself as a “Christian home for ‘at risk’ adoptees who may be experiencing difficulties in their new families in the U.S.A.” Parents would board adopted children at the ranch, sometimes for years.
On July 23, 2019, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services issued a statement that the State of Montana had removed 27 children from the ranch due to allegations of long-term child abuse and neglect, including physical and psychological abuse.
The specific alleged abuses of children aged 11-17 included staff disciplining children by sending them on 15- to 20-mile walks on remote forest service roads in harsh conditions, with improper or no shoes.
The ranch was also accused of withholding food; shooting a nail gun at a student; prolonged isolation; lack of medical attention; withholding and improper storage of medications; and failure to report runaways, even in winter.
The state immediately suspended the facility’s license. The ranch lost its license permanently in December of 2020.
The Montana Department of Justice led the investigation into the ranch. After the DOJ turned over its findings, the Lincoln County Attorney on March 10 determined there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges in the matter and the file was closed.
A half-dozen complaints were filed by parents and guardians of children who were at the ranch, including two in federal court that were settled on April 15.
Mayer’s complaint goes on to call the ranch a “de facto prison camp” and states that Doe was strangled at least twice by staff, once until unconscious. The complaint says the ranch did not seek medical attention for Doe after an accident involving a horse, he was involved in several “forced marches” and received psychological abuse and poor education.
When the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) removed him from the ranch, the State of Montana took custody of him because the Butlers reportedly did not want him back.
Court documents say Doe is unable to care for himself and is now in a group home.
The complaint states that the China Center for Children’s Welfare requires six post-placement reports over five years after the adoption is complete.
The adoptive agency is responsible for reports at 6 months, one year and two years, and Madison Adoption Associates (MAA) policy requires an additional visit by the agency after 30 days, according to its website.
Reports, according to the MAA website, require an essay and multiple photographs of the child and the adoptive family.
The federal complaint alleges that MAA completed no post-adoption reports for Doe.
Further, MAA did not investigate Doe's placement after the Butlers sent him away, per the complaint.
Although the complaint says MAA did have discussions with both the Butlers and Ranch for Kids, it claims MAA relied on Ranch for Kids’ representation of Doe's progress.
MAA allegedly believed Ranch for Kids when staff told the agency that Doe would soon be removed from the ranch and would likely be forced into a lockdown facility such as a psychiatric hospital.
The complaint says MAA did not adequately investigate whether placement at Ranch for Kids was in Doe's best interests or whether it was a safe place for him.
For allegations of negligence, the complaint seeks unspecified damages, court costs and other relief as the court system deems just.
Criminal justice reporter Traci Rosenbaum reports on law enforcement issues for the Tribune. Reach her at trosenbaum@greatfallstribune.com or 406-791-1490.
Follow her on Twitter @GFTrib_TRosenba.