Shelter Operator Turns Himself In

The director of a Tustin shelter for runaway and abandoned teen-agers who was charged this week with six counts of child molestation surrendered Wednesday to Municipal Court authorities in Santa Ana.

Major Barnes II, director of Laurel House, was released on his own recognizance after arraignment was postponed until April 15.

Barnes, 41, was charged with felony counts of oral copulation, penetration with a foreign object and sexual battery and three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct with a minor in connection with the sexual molestation of four girls. Barnes’ wife, who also ran the shelter, was not charged.

“We’re going to plead not guilty to all the charges,” said Paul B. Herbert, an attorney representing Barnes on Wednesday. Herbert declined to comment on where Barnes had been since the arrest warrant was issued.

Barnes’ attorney, Byron K. McMillan, did not appear in court.

The home for problem teen-agers was shut down March 15 after three girls ages 15 to 17 told police that they had been sexually molested at Laurel House, in the 13600 block of Fairmont Way.

Chuck Noble, a spokesman for the Laurel House board of directors, said Wednesday that the group home will be closed for at least a month. The six teen-agers who were staying at the coeducational facility were either placed in another group home or released to their parents during the police investigation, Tustin police said.

During the three-week investigation, police interviewed about 37 former residents of Laurel House before turning over a 500-page report to the district attorney’s office last week, Tustin Police Lt. Walt Wedemeyer said.

John Grant, a licensing program supervisor for the Social Services Department, said Laurel House was granted a three-year license in February, 1986, to care for up to six youths ranging from 13 to 17 years of age. Children are placed in the facility by their parents or social agencies, he said.

If convicted on all counts, Barnes could face a maximum penalty of five years and 10 months in jail, Deputy Dist. Atty. Dennis D. Bauer said.