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PROVO — A staff member at an inpatient residential youth treatment facility was charged Tuesday with sexually abusing one of the residents.
Conrad Faleniu Fiame, 26, of Saratoga Springs, is charged in 4th District Court with three counts of object rape, a first-degree felony, and six counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
A girl between the ages of 15 and 16 was a resident at a Heritage school in Provo last fall through March of this year. Court documents don't specify which school. Fiame was a staff member and was involved in the victim's treatment as her "coach," according to charging documents.
"The victim described this role as a 'therapist' and said that the defendant would accompany her when she moved from place to place within the facility and was the staff member who sat with her in the 'white room,' which she said was used for isolation and containment when residents broke the rules. During her stay at the facility, the victim was required to follow the rules, which included obeying the instructions issued by her coaches. This dynamic created a position of special trust between the defendant and victim where he was able to exert undue influence on her," the charges allege.
Starting in December, the teen says Fiame began having inappropriate contact with her while she was in the white room.
"The victim said that male staff were required to sit in a chair by the door of the room because there were no cameras inside the white room. She said that the defendant would leave the chair and pursue her further into the room where the hallway cameras did not cover. The victim said the contact started out as kissing, but quickly moved on to other things," according to the charges.
When police interviewed Fiame's supervisors, they noted his "unusual interest" in the girl and mentioned Fiame had been told his behavior was inappropriate, the charges say.
Investigators say Fiame also tried to maintain contact with the teen after she left the facility.
