In the same week that three refugee boys pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl in Twin Falls, Idaho, the mayor and council floated the idea of passing a resolution declaring Twin Falls a “welcoming city” for illegals and refugees.
On Tuesday, three refugee boys — two from Iraq ages 7 and 10, and one from Sudan aged 14 — pleaded guilty in juvenile court to multiple counts of sex crimes in an incident that occurred last June at Fawnbrook Apartments in Twin Falls. It was there where a 5-year-old girl with special needs was lured into a laundry room, stripped of her clothing and sexually assaulted while the oldest boy filmed the entire incident.
They urinated on the girl, in her mouth, and committed other lewd acts captured on the video.
Sentencing for the juvenile criminals will take place at a later date. The sentencing date is being kept secret by the court.
“We are thankful they admitted to the crime and pleaded guilty. Finally we can get justice for our daughter and can heal,” Lacy Peterson, the little girl’s mother, told WND.
The family is still considering filing a civil suit against the families of the refugee boys and possibly against the College of Southern Idaho, which places refugees from several Third World countries into the Twin Falls area. Many of them work at Chobani, which operates the world’s largest yogurt plant in Twin Falls.
WND reported last week the girl’s family has endured nearly 10 months of public shaming and downplaying of the crime by powerful elites who support continued refugee resettlement in Idaho and nationwide.
The sexual assault was all but dismissed as a minor “kids-will-be-kids” type of incident by county prosecutor Grant Loebs, while others such as former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones tried to insinuate that the incident never happened and was merely a fake news story concocted by WND and Breitbart News.
Jones, speaking at a Rotary Club meeting in Twin Falls in January, referred to the sexual assault as “so-called news” being fabricated by WND and others.
In fact, Jones expressed more concern for Chobani Yogurt, which operates a plant in Twin Falls and makes use of refugee labor, than for the 5-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted. The Times-News of Twin Falls reported the following on his Jan. 19 speech to the local Rotary:
No longer forced to be silent, Jones, 75, has a lot to say — especially about refugees and “the so-called news that has caused a lot of trouble for businesses, like Chobani, and (the College of Southern Idaho’s) refugee program,” he said. “These (refugees) need safe haven. They should be welcomed here.”
Jones called out Breitbart News, World Net Daily and others he says have played “fast and loose with the truth” and should not be regarded as credible.
One city councilman, Chris Talkington, went so far as to refer to local residents who vocalized their outrage about the crime as “white supremacists.”
The Obama-appointed U.S. attorney for Idaho, Wendy Olson, threatened to prosecute Idahoans who spoke out about the crime in a way that she considered “false or inflammatory.” She was forced to walk back her comments after she was roundly condemned for trying to squelch the First Amendment rights of American citizens.
Loebs told the Raw Story and other publications that the crime was being greatly exaggerated by those who wished to use the incident to “smear” Muslims and refugees.
Twin Falls police refused to hand over the full police reports, and the local hospital has still not released the little girl’s medical records to her parents.
Activists say the city officials’ concern for the tiny victim still seems to take a back seat to their efforts to make sure refugees feel welcome.
Councilman Talkington suggested, during a Twin Falls meeting Monday, the city should adopt a resolution declaring Twin Falls a “welcoming city.”
Welcoming cities lay out the red carpet for immigrants – legal and illegal – and embrace the transformation of their demographics through refugee resettlement.
Only two other cities in Idaho have declared themselves “welcoming” – Boise and Ketchum.
“It’s one that has shown that Idaho has gotten a lot of bad press, that we are open communities, we welcome everybody, and it would be a step forward for Twin Falls to consider the welcoming community potential for a resolution,” Talkington said.
“Thank you councilman,” Mayor Shawn Barigar said. “We will certainly consider having that on a future agenda.”
What the boys pleaded guilty to
On Tuesday, the day after that idea was introduced at the council meeting, the Twin Falls county prosecutor’s office issued a press release saying the refugee families and attorney of the family of the 5-year-old victim approved the settlements reached in each of the three cases, alleviating the need for a trial.
The three boys pleaded guilty to the charges as follows:
- Defendant No. 1 pleaded guilty to felony sexual exploitation of a child and misdemeanor battery.
- Defendant No. 2 pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting felony lewd conduct and aiding and abetting misdemeanor battery.
- Defendant No. 3 pleaded guilty to the charge of accessory to the commission of a felony.
Grant Loebs declined to comment on camera, but he gave KMVT Local 11 News the following comment that was read on air:
I am pleased we resolved this case and received a result which was approved and agreed upon by the victim’s family and attorney. This continues to be serious and sad case, but this is a proper resolution.
‘We have just begun to clean house in Idaho’
Julie DeWolfe, a local activist in Twin Falls and friend of the victim’s family, said she was relieved by the long-awaited outcome.
“I am relieved for Jayla’s family that all three youths pleaded guilty, but I know that the sentencing will answer our question as to whether or not Idaho takes gang-rape seriously,” DeWolfe said.
“The issue cannot be fully resolved until we address the broken refugee program, the numerous failures of Idaho state laws regarding underage rapists, the careless and inaccurate interview comments made by the Twin Falls County prosecutor, and address the gross apathy of our elected officials which led one local councilman to publicly defame the father of the rape victim,” she added. “We have just begun to clean house in Idaho.”
