Oregon Youth Authority faces lawmakers as lawsuit claims staffer abused boys

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As the Oregon Youth Authority faces a major lawsuit for allegations of sex abuse in a juvenile detention center, state lawmakers have begun hosting accountability hearings in an effort to investigate the agency’s leadership. 

On March 13, attorneys shared details of a lawsuit involving 10 men who claim to have been abused by OYA staffer Dr. Edwards “Gary” Edwards while they were children serving time at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. 

Starting Tuesday, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety began hosting accountability hearings to probe OYA’s “extreme mismanagement in agency leadership that enabled a culture of abuse spanning decades.”

According to the lawsuit and an investigation by the Department of Administrative Services, Dr. Edwards had private access to boys between the ages of 12 and 16 while serving as the primary medical provider at Maclaren from 1977 until at least 2008.

The men represented by the lawsuit claim the abuse was so pervasive that Dr. Edwards was known among children and staff as “Dr. Cold Fingers.” The lawsuit alleges that staffers had knowledge of his abuse and used it as leverage against the boys to make them behave.

“The MacLaren staff weaponized Dr. Edwards’ abuse of youth, and by that we mean when one of our client’s behavior wasn’t to the staff’s liking, they would threaten them that, ‘Hey if you don’t get in line, we’re going to send you to see Dr. Cold Fingers,’” Attorney Peter Janci said in a press conference.

The Department of Administrative Services has already detailed significant failures at the OYA.

“The safety of thousands of vulnerable youths in state custody takes precedent over the agency’s budget,” Rep. Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) said. “What we truly cannot afford is for more minors to become victims from an agency that has failed to prioritize their well-being.”