How Could You? Hall of Shame-Luella and Leon Mengine case UPDATED
This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
From Benton, Pennsylvania, 47-year-old foster mother Luella Mengine had the following 12 charges files against her on May 14, 2012:
- One Felony 1 count of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Forcible Compulsion
- One Felony 1 count of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a child
- One Felony 2 count of Sexual Assault
- One Misdemeanor 1 count of Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion
- One Felony 3 count of Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion
- Four Felony 3 counts of Endangering Welfare of Children -Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense
- Two Misdemeanor 1 counts of Simple Assault
- One Misdemeanor 2 count of Recklessly Endangering Another Person
for the alleged abuse of her five-year-old male and a seven-year-old female foster children and neglect of three other foster children.
The children were removed from her home in January 2012 according to News Item “after they, and three other children, were sexually assaulted multiple times by a 13-year-old foster brother at the home between June and September. After being taken into protective custody, the boy and girl reported to authorities about being physically and sexually abused by Mengine, as well.
According to a release, Mengine allegedly assaulted them with a tennis racket. One of the children told authorities that the foster mother held their head in a bucket of water, preventing them from breathing, and also sexually assaulted them.”
WNEP reports that “Mengine tortured the children by dunking their heads in the toilet, beating them with a tennis racket and putting their own vomit on food and forcing them to eat it.”
Luella is in the Columbia County Jail on $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 23 before Magisterial District Judge Douglas D. Brewer.
Sources:
Foster mother charged in abuse of children
[News Item 5/16/12]
Columbia County, PA court docket
Foster Mother Accused of Abuse, Neglect
[WNEP 5/16/12 by Eileen Kennedy]
REFORM Puzzle Pieces
Update: “A Columbia County woman charged with abusing her foster children was in court this morning. Before it was all over her husband was arrested in the courtroom and also accused of assaulting the kids!
Luella Mengine gave up her right to a hearing on charges that for four years she abused foster children in her care.
Police say the assaults on the two boys and two girls took place in her home near Benton. Mengine had little to say.
During Mengine’s court appearance she was also hit with additional charges. Some of the allegations:
– She tied a child’s hands and feet together.
– Forced the child’s head into a bucket of water.
– Forced a child to drink urine after getting it from a toilet.
Luella Mengine’s free on bail. [Why is her bail HALF of her husband’s?] Her husband, Leon was arrested during his wife’s hearing.
He is jailed after failing to come up with $200,000 bail.
He’s accused of abusing the children. Knew about his wife`s child abuse and failed to protect the children.
Assistant Columbia County D.A. Dan Lynn said the case has a lot of emotion.
“I think anyone who has any relatives including children and any citizen will look at this case and be shocked at the allegations involved, obviously it’s very serious and we will prosecute this case to the fullest extent we can,” Lynn explained.
Defense Attorney Al Flora said his clients maintain their innocence.
“Children and youth services found all of the allegations unfounded and despite that determination the state police went ahead and filed the criminal charges and is very rare and I have never seen that before,” said Flora.
Officials say all of the children are expected to testify in what court papers describe as torture.”
Couple Charged With Abusing Foster Children
[WNEP 6/26/12 by Bob Reynolds]
Update 2: “A girl who said her former foster dad sexually abused her could face charges of her own for allegedly molesting younger children in the same home. The 14-year-old, who was slated to take the stand as a victim in the case against 47-year-old Luella and 51-year-old Leon Mengine, refused to testify Tuesday after consulting with an attorney, for fear of implicating herself. As a result, charges against Mr. Mengine were withdrawn. Mrs. Mengine, still faces counts for alleged sexual abuse of a 7-year-old girl. Meanwhile the younger boy, shut down as soon as he was questioned about a “bad thing” he says happened in the Jackson Township home, leading District Judge Doug Brewer to reduce counts against Mrs. Mengine from 21 to 11. [Originally she had 12 counts] The remaining charges will be heard in county court. The Press Enterprise reports, charges against Mr. Mengine could be re-filed at a later date. ”
http://www.wgrc.com/news/2012-08-29-august-29-2012
[WGRC 8/29/12]
A search of Pennsylvania court records indicates that Luella’s arraignment is on October 4, 2012. The charges that were dropped for Luella include the following:
One Felony 1 count of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a child
Two Misdemeanor 1 count of Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion
Two Felony 3 counts of Endangering Welfare of Children -Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense
One Misdemeanor 1 count of Simple Assault
Two Misdemeanor 2 counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person
Two Felony 3 counts of Indecent Assault, Person less than 13 years of age
Remaining charges include the following:
Three Misdemeanor 1 counts of Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion
Three Felony 3 counts of Indecent Assault, Person less than 13 years of age
Two Felony 3 counts of Endangering Welfare of Children -Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense
One Felony 2 count of sexual assault
One Felony 1 count of IDSI Forcible Compulsion
Update 3: “A relieved Leon Mengine wiped tears from his eyes and hugged his lawyer after being acquitted Friday of raping and sexually abusing a foster child he had once hoped to adopt.
The rural Benton truck driver and his wife, Luella, had spent more than $100,000 in legal fees over the past two years defending themselves against serious accusations made by two sisters placed in their home by KidsPeace foster care services in 2007.
They also had their own son, now 16, removed from their home because of their arrests.
‘Lost everything’
Mr. Mengine, 53, and defense attorney Shelley Centini openly criticized the investigation that led to arrests based solely on children’s tales without any supporting evidence.
Police also never questioned either of the Mengines about the accusations prior to filing charges, they said.
“We lost everything. All over this stuff. This is why they have a hard time finding homes for these children,” Mengine said.
“Never, never again,” he said when asked if he would accept any more foster kids into his Jackson Township home.
Still, the couple said they still love the kids.
“We had these children in our home for four-and-a-half years. We were going to adopt them,” Luella Mengine said of the sisters and their two brothers. They had been removed from their parents’ home in Schuylkill County.
Mrs. Mengine was found not guilty in March of separate sexual abuse charges brought by a 9-year-old. A jury took about 30 minutes to unanimously discount that girl’s story.
Mr. Mengine was facing 36 counts of child rape and sexual exploitation for alleged acts with an older foster child.
It took about 40 minutes for jurors to return acquittals against him after dismissing claims by the 16-year-old girl. She had described being forced into oral sex on three occasions while living in the Mengine home.
‘Grateful’
Emotionally overcome, Mengine clasped defense attorney Centini’s hand before hugging her and then his wife and other family members after Judge Gary E. Norton recited “not guilty” verdicts 36 times in the courtroom.
One woman seated in the jury box could be seen wiping tears from her eyes after the eight women and four men returned to the jury box, staring straight ahead and firmly asserting they all agreed with the verdicts when polled individually.
“We are grateful to the jury for finding the courage to return this decision and end the two-year struggle for this loving couple,” Centini said.
‘Nobody notices this?’
The foster child, who was brought into the courtroom with caseworkers and her new foster mother looking on, testified she was sexually accosted by Mengine in a bathroom.
She told of being pushed down onto her knees as her foster father opened his pants and forced her into a sex act that lasted 20 to 25 minutes. This happened three times, starting when she was 10.
She waited four years, however, before reporting the allegations.
Centini raised doubts about the way police interviewed her and noted how the charges were initially thrown out when the girl refused to testify without witness immunity. The teen had wanted to protect herself from possible prosecution for prior bad acts.
Centini asked the accuser only a single question: Had she noticed any distinctive marks or scars around the defendant’s groin or midsection as he allegedly accosted her?
No, she replied with a puzzled look.
The defense then brought out photographs of skin tags and scarring on the defendant from appendectomy surgery. He also has a protruding belly button from an old hernia, conditions verified by Mengine’s physician.
Prosecutor Dan Lynn asked the jury not to be misled by a child’s inability to recall such details.
But the defense, describing the Mengines’ small home as “a shoebox” where seven or eight people resided, argued it was nearly impossible for such acts to take place in a bathroom where “someone was knocking on the door nearly every five minutes.”
“Six, seven kids? There’s constant bathroom use,” Centini argued. “She said it was 20, 25 minutes at a time? And nobody notices this?”
Foster dad cleared of abuse[Press-Enterprise 8/2/14 by Leon Bogdan]
May she burn in hell.
See u need to get ur story straight before u start judging!!!
This is sooo sad that the trial keeps getting postponed, WTH is going on. Don’t you think these kids to have the peace of mind that these animals are in jail for their crimes instead of being free and torturing them more emotionally.
Sad doesn’t even touch what this is. It is disgusting and upsetting that the rights of the children are being violated. Where is the child advocate? Not the prosecutor for the state but the attorney for the children? They were bullied and terrorized in that courtroom. How many times are these children going to be abused????? God be with these precious children because the law certainly isn’t. I was impressed with the state police officer who spoke out in defense of the children. Step up judge.
Again, u are not a real mother of these children or u have not lost custody & it was not for u to JUDGE that is what court was for
You seem to be engaging in far too much “judging” yourself to be complaining about anyone else doing so.
Great story in the Press Enterprise today about the courage of tortured child at the hands of these monsters. God please continue to hold this little girl in you protective arms and give her the strength that she needs to put these people away.
Children and youth are covering up their asses so that they wouldn’t be found out but i am the children biological mother and have been fighting for 6 years to get them home but nothing i do seems to be good enough in the eyes of children and youth. My children are being threatened that if they testify that they would be in big trouble. Now my oldest daughter is not allowed to have a trial and that is my children’s right to put these monsters away. Children and youth have told my oldest daughter that she is not allowed to talk to the state police officer about anything that has happened to her. Why on earth would children and youth deny her the right to make sure these people don’t walk away. Both Leon and Luella Mengine need to be in jail. I hope and pray to GOD that they burn in hell!!!!! Along with the caseworker because she knew of the abuse and did nothing to stop it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a sick. This state should be sued for their vile actions.
u may be the biological mother but u lost them for a reason and if u have been fighting for them for 6 yrs how come there were 2 very young ones and looks to me like u should say u and the police and the news channels and the newspapers need to be sued for false allagations pain and suffering. the jury found them not gulity for a reason !!!! BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT !!!!!!!!!!!
No, the jury found that the charges weren’t proved beyond a reasonable doubt, so he was acquitted. That’s how our judicial system is designed to work; better a possibly-guilty man go free than a possibly-innocent be convicted.
It doesn’t by any means “prove” that his accusers were lying, just that the jury felt there was enough doubt that they weren’t willing to find him guilty.
Finally after waiting for something to occur for my children to finally get some sort of satisfaction a court hearing has been set for March 19th of 2014 only took almost 2 years to finally get it. I hope and pray to god this woman gets what she deserves a one way ticket straight to hell. I can only hope that my children remain strong enough to testify against this beastly woman. Please say an extra prayer tonight for all of the children out there being abused and give them strength to come forward to stop this abuse
You cannot believe everything you read. Those kids refused to follow house rules and wanted out if there. They know that by reporting these false accusations would get them out of there. If you investigate it, these kids did the same thing to there previous foster parents. That is the reason why some are not testifying because they know it will be brought up and will get in big trouble. The Prosecutor and Childrens & Youth knows this as well, but it’s still going on. Instead of getting these kids help and teaching them right from wrong the system is telling them it’s ok to lie and ruin peoples lives. They are ruining these decent peoples lives all because they wanted to offer and help these kids. Remember these kids did the same thing to a previous foster parent.
As for the mother, stop trying to be a victim. These kids were removed from your custody for a reason. The only victims here are all those parents that tried helping them. What did these kids do?? Instead of respecting them they slapped them in the face.
thank you for pointing out that the mom has had nothing to do with any of the kids in 3 years!!!!!
This is not true I have been in contact with them through phone calls I will answer your questions if you have any
So then maybe you gave them the ideas? It’s obvious that this wasn’t true. A victim of a crime like this can remember every detail. Not noticing his scars and other features is very telling. A victim would remember these things and the vision of it would replay in their mind hundreds of times over. Maybe you should take some accountability for the fact that you raised children who are manipulative. Sounds like they get it from you.
I am not acting like a victim. You know nothing about why they were placed and sweetheart this was the first set of foster parents that they have had so there are no other foster families involved know your facts before you say anything about my children
u just lied they did do the same thing to other foster parents and there is PROOF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have done every thing I could you say i didn’t want anything to do with my children when in fact I have gone to each court hearing did parenting classes and have had 4 mental health evaluations done you don’t know me nor what hell I have been through trying to get them home and you may think that I have done something horribly wrong when in fact I called cys when I had no roof over my head and didn’t want my children to live out on
the streets it is not my fault for what these ppl did to my children
I am very sorry for what you and your children have been through.
CPS systems need to stop taking kids away from their parents for the “crime” of poverty! This is hideously unjust. If the state has money to pay the foster parents, they have money to aid the real parents. If they can afford pick up 100% of the children’s health care costs for the foster parents, they can afford to also do this for the real parents.
We KNOW that children are three times more likely to be physically and sexually abused in foster care than with their actual parents. Therefore, we should ONLY take children into care for real abuse– not poverty, recreational drug use, or– Heaven help us all– a messy house.
Oh, we need to get rid of “privatized” CPS systems! They have a financial motive to take as many kids into “the system” as possible, and keep them there as long as they can. Not to mention that kids are MORE likely to be abused in privatized CPS systems than state-run ones. Businesses exist to maximize their own profits; it’s what they do. And if they can do that by “cutting expenses” like thorough background checks on foster parents and hiring enough social workers to make regular home visits to make sure the kids are being well-treated.
Why don’t you ask why she had no money? Maybe because she was too busy paying for things after being arrested for selling drugs. I think the pity party is over… Wise up. Google is your friend.
Also Mr and Mrs engine was the first set of foster parents they had so come again with your lies about how my children did this to their previous foster parents before you make judgment on my Children know your facts friend which honestly is Mr or Mrs mengine BC your just
trying to make yourself look like the victims for being a victim myself the only part that I was victimized by was that my children suffered 4 years of abuse from that family I have the reports saying it I also have a report of the child named Charlie admitting that he abused
them sexually not to mention pictures of fingerprints on my children and scratches whethey could not possibly reach and why on earth would my oldest son be in the mental hospital?Something happened in that house and was reported and it was not them who called to report it it was indeed the school BC my daughter destiny wasn’t allowed to participate in the go touch bad touch program the foster parents were suppose to sign permission slips to allow her to participate in the program when she went to school the teacher asked for it and she told them that her foster parents didn’t want her to do that program. Why not if they have nothing to hide? I believe my children over any stranger and they know lieing is not right in the lords eyes therefore they would not lie about this
They gave those children of yours a safe place to live feed them and was getting ready i 1 month to be their real parents. So now what do have to say to that???? if you have been arrested for drugs which is a matter of public record then again what do you have to say??? You lost the children due to yourself & there were other foster parents or where else would they have been for 2 years before these people got them and were about to adopt them??????? All of your comments suck because they are BIG ASS LIES!!!!!
Being a recreational drug user– assuming that is in fact the case– is NOT in and of itself grounds to lose custody. If it were, every parent who drinks beer or wine would have their children yanked away. The question is, does the parent impair their consciousness to a degree which prevents them from caring for their children? Or does the parent assault the child– physically, sexually, or verbally– while “under the influence”?
In the first case, the parent might receive drug treatment while being housed in a halfway house WITH their children, in the midst of mandated reporters. They can receive parenting training at the same time, with appropriate CPS monitoring after release.
In the second case, I’m inclined to pull the ABUSER from the home by arresting him/her, leaving the kids with the non-offending parent. Domestic abusers tend to “blame the bottle” for their assaults to minimize their own liability. IOW, they get high when they want to beat someone, rather than “losing control” after having imbibed.
Unlike physical or verbal abuse, molesting children is NEVER a case of an otherwise loving parent going “too far” in a moment of frustration. Sexual abuse is always a calculated decision to exploit children’s vulnerability for their own gratification. There are no “accidental” child rapes; they are always the result of adult depravity.
Actually you are wrong. The parents of these four children still had their parental rights when you claim that the foster parents were going to adopt them. The children were in care because their mom lost her home. I know because I have every single report. The children were placed in one home for 4 1/2 years then moved to a different home where they were then separated. I have known these children since 2003. And guess what learn to read because the father of the youngest 3 was and still has not had contact with the children. Me myself my husband and Dawn were always in contact even if it was through letters. I think it’s funny that you claim to know what was going on when you don’t know squat. Here is a ? For you the oldest child who is my step daughter why wasn’t she placed with us when we have both of our children and always have. By the way if CYS wasn’t trying to cover there asses why did they threaten to have my step daughter thrown in juvenile hall if she testified the first time. And by the way not remembering specific details is very common because the brain tries to protect itself by burying the abuse.
Furthermore, this is about my children not me!!!!!!! What these people did to my children, if you read all of their reports on the abuse it would make you sick to your stomach and I would not wish this on anyone not even on my worst enemy the system failed my children all I ever did was want them safe from living on the street. I have had contact with my children through phone calls so I don’t know where you get off saying I haven’t had anything to do with my children. And if that was true ( not wanting anything to do with them ) then how come I know what’s going on with them at all times?
If you know what’s going on with them at all times, then how come it took so long to put an end to the supposed abuse? Hmm… Do you not realize how transparent you are?
If you want to know the truth email me at white_dove2698@yahoo.com I will answer your questions in full I have nothing to hide all I wanted was for all of them to be safe
Are you afraid of the truth afraid you might look bad my children suffered one is in a mental hospital for what the mengines done to him while these ppl get off and you say I have not had anything to do with my children there you are wrong I have had contact with them through phone calls my children were not taken from me I placed them in the care of cys BC I broke my foot lost my home and I could not bring myself to watch them suffer in violently cold weather with no roof over their heads I did not think that my children would have been hurt while in cys care so no all of the facts before you place any judgment on me or my children and besides that you are not god only he knows the whole truth you can hide from anyone and anything but god he knows everything and sees everything he will make his judgment when it is time
Okay so you people that have no idea what went on in that house need to shut up. i along with my brothers and sister went through hell. im sorry that i broke down in the court home and that i didnt remember the scar… let my tell u honey the lady said ” did you notice any scars or anything of that nature on his PENIS not stomach. i want to thank everyone that was there for me. Mom i found he letters they hide of yours to us. and Mengines u have no CONTROL over us anymore EVER!!!!! and u r incapable of love.
Burn in hell, what u did to these innocent children has no excuse. You do not deserve the air in your lungs. You are cruel sick worthless people. You will never be forgiven. You forever damaged the children’s souls and minds. I bid u eternal pain and suffering. U deserve to slave in the fires of hell for eternity , and that still will not be enough punishment. There is nothing that will ever justify your actions, I know personally what it’s like to be molested, and it causes more than pain, everyday afterwards u fight yourself, asking “what did I do? Why did I deserve this?” I would do anything to change what happen to them, and as for Leon and Luella you should be rotting in solitary confinement. The damage you caused can’t be reversed , it can be repressed and dulled but not reversed. No child deserves the pain u caused them. Prison is even to good for u low life scum. Nothing will ever make what you did ok. Your sick twisted and cruel. Your not even human beings.