Evidentiary hearings in case of caretaker closed to public

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999 | 10:59 a.m.

A judge closed the courtroom for a hearing in the case of a man accused of sexually assaulting boys while working as a caretaker at St. Jude's Ranch for Children in Boulder City.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle on Monday barred the public for the duration of the hearing, which came on the eve of Larry Wisenbaker's trial on 25 counts of sexual misconduct involving 16 boys ages 10 to 16.

Prosecutors have said in court documents that Wisenbaker was implicated in similar incidents when he worked at youth facilities in Texas.

Prosecutors earlier were granted permission to present testimony from some of these youth during Wisenbaker's Las Vegas trial. After hearing the youths' accounts during Monday's hearing, Hardcastle was to decide which of them may testify.

Wisenbaker, 34, passed an extensive background check conducted by St. Jude's authorities when he was hired in May 1998. In the check, they found no previous criminal behavior.

St. Jude's Ranch for Children - located in Boulder City approximately 30 miles southwest of Las Vegas - is a nonprofit residential treatment center for children who have been abused.

Police said Wisenbaker, a Texas native, had direct supervision over several boys and had the opportunity to be alone with them at the ranch.