Return to Majestic Ranch Academy Page
From the Office of the Attorney General
June 4, 2002
For more information contact: Paul Murphy (801)538-1892
The director of a boarding school for troubled youth has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a young girl at the Rich County facility. Wayne E. Winder, 35, has been charged with a first degree felony count of aggravated sexual abuse, a third degree felony count of dealing in material harmful to a minor and three class A misdemeanor counts of child abuse.
Winder is the director and staff supervisor at the Majestic Ranch, located near Randolph in Rich County. The parents of the children paid the school approximately $3,000 a month to care for each child. The investigation involved interviews with 41 children at the ranch.
The children told investigators about sexual abuse, physical abuse and that the defendant displayed a pornographic picture. The children are between the ages of 10 and 14-years-old.
The Office of Licensing has sent a letter to the owners of the school to inform them they need a Human Services license to operate a residential treatment center.
Assistant Attorney General Craig Barlow, the director of the Children's Justice Division of the Attorney General's Office, will be prosecuting this case. Bail has been set at $30,000.