Indicted foster father at large

AMELIA - A longtime Amelia foster father, charged with sexually abusing two boys who were in his care, remained at large this morning.

Jaysen W. Bell, 31, of the 1200 block of Beechwood Drive, was charged Wednesday in an eight-count indictment by a Clermont County grand jury. Bell is charged with rape, three counts of sexual battery, gross imposition and three counts of sexual imposition.

The charges involve two boys - one from Warren County and one from Butler County - who were placed in the foster home by Lifeway for Youth, a private firm that handles foster cases under contract with child protection agencies, Amelia Police Chief Jeffrey Sucher said Thursday.

The charges cover offenses that, according to the indictment, occurred at Bell's residence from July 2003 through June 2006.

The investigation was under way during the August search for 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel and the subsequent murder indictment of his foster parents, David and Liz Carroll.

They also were recruited by Lifeway, which came under severe criticism for inadequate screening of applicants. A state investigation of Lifeway's performance is continuing. The state also is investigating how much caseworkers knew about the Carrolls' background and whether the children were being properly monitored.

Lifeway and Butler County children services officials have said they did nothing wrong and that the Carrolls duped everyone. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is expected to release the results of its investigation next week.

Amelia police began an investigation in June after one of the boys - who was no longer in the Bell residence and is now in a permanent foster home - confided in a Goshen police officer who attends the same church, Sucher said.

"The boy had enough courage to come forward in June," said Amelia Officer Jeff Wood, who investigated the allegations. The Goshen officer contacted Amelia police and an investigation began. It included the execution of a search warrant at the Bell residence, Sucher said.

E-mails between Bell and the two boys found on a computer corroborated some of the boys' allegations, the police chief said.

The other boy and three girls who were in the Bell residence as foster children were removed in June, Sucher said.

Butler County Children Services Board cooperated with the investigation, said Judy Stadler, director of intake. "We certainly believed this had occurred and we were involved with police all along from the beginning," she said.

The boy was among 10 Butler County foster children placed with the Bells since 2000. None was placed since 2005, Stadler said.

Eight of the nine other Butler County children placed with Bell through the years were tracked down and interviewed after the 16-year-old came forward, but said they were never sexually abused by Bell, Stadler said. Only one child, who now lives in Florida, could not be located.

"Some of the kids that we interviewed said, 'That was my favorite foster home,' " Stadler said.

"We're just glad that (the boys) brought this information ... and now no other kids can be harmed."

Wood said police believe that Bell's wife apparently was unaware of her husband's alleged conduct. "They don't believe she knew anything," he said.

Over the years, more than 30 children had been placed in the Bell home, Wood said.

Since they were licensed in 1999, the Bells gave every indication of being outstanding caretakers to their foster children, officials said.

"They took them to Disney World," said Patti Jacobs, spokeswoman for Warren County child protective services. "The kids were involved with sports and cheerleading. They were the dream foster home, they were awesome. It was painful to pull (the children) out when we found out this happened. It was just one of those things where we wouldn't have known."

In Cincinnati, child protection authorities are reviewing case files of Hamilton County children who were placed in the Bell home at various times since 2000.

Bell worked in real estate in the Clermont County area. He is listed with "The Jaysen Bell Team" in the September 2006 roster of the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors. According to Ohio Secretary of State records, he is the registered agent for Bell Real Estate Services in Amelia.

Sheila McLaughlin and Margaret A. McGurk contributed. E-mail bweathers@enquirer.com

REFERRALS: CAICA is not a referral agency. CAICA does not refer to or promote facilities or transport companies for children or teens. CAICA warns parents that the parent pay / parent choice programs ie. Residential Treatment Centers, Therapeutic Boarding Schools, Behavior Modification Programs, Christian Programs, Positive Peer Culture Programs, etc., are not regulated by the Federal Government and that it is a "Buyer Beware" industry. CAICA provides the following for parents: Message to Parents, Help for Distraught and Desperate Parents, and Questions to Ask and Warning Signs.

© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008