Two former inmates at the Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Casper are being prosecuted in connection with sexual assault allegations at the facility, according to an investigator's testimony.

Both inmates appeared in Natrona County Circuit Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors have acknowledged filing charges in adult court against the former inmates, but have declined to identify them or the specific charges they face.

At the hearing, a judge ruled the cases should move on to Natrona County District Court for trial.

The investigation involves two alleged victims, ages 15 and 16, and three separate incidents, all in the same dormitory-style cell at the juvenile center located on the third floor of the Hall of Justice, Natrona County sheriff's investigator Michael Steinberg testified.

The criminal case comes as the Wyoming Department of Family Services is investigating allegations of abuse and neglect at the center, which can house up to 40 inmates from ages 12 to 17.

The center is privately run. Cornerstone Programs Corp., of Colorado, is in the process of taking over operations from Cheyenne-based Frontier Correctional Systems.

The department has revealed it is investigating allegations of an inmate-on-inmate assault at the center. When asked whether the state's case is connected to criminal charges in Natrona County, a spokeswoman for the department said she's prohibited from identifying individuals involved in the investigation.

During Thursday's preliminary hearing, Steinberg testified for more than an hour about the criminal case. The investigator said he interviewed a 15-year-old boy at the center who told him two inmates grabbed him and wrestled him to the floor while they were in their cell. One of the inmates then sexually assaulted him, according to the testimony.

The boy didn't report the incident immediately, but eventually told someone after he found out the 16-year-old boy had allegedly undergone a similar assault.

The 16-year-old boy said he was also grabbed in the same cell and held down while an inmate there sexually assaulted him, Steinberg testified.

As the investigator spoke, one of the inmates who is facing charges slowly shook his head "no."

The 16-year-old boy said on another occasion, after the lights had been turned out, he was grabbed by several inmates after he got out of the shower. One of the inmates, who was also naked, approached him from behind, Steinberg said.

The inmates scattered when a detention center staff member came by the cell and shined a flashlight inside.

The 16-year-old boy did not immediately report the alleged incident because he was still being held in the same cell with the people he believed had assaulted him.

One of the two inmates being charged told Steinberg he and another inmate had grabbed 15-year-old boy but hadn't assaulted him, the investigator told the court. The other inmate initially denied any involvement in either incident, but then said he only slapped one boy in the buttocks and planned to do the same to the other, before the staff member with the flashlight came by.

Under cross examination by defense attorney Patrick LeBrun, Steinberg said other inmates who witnessed the alleged incidents described them as wresting, rather than a "vicious struggle."

After the testimony, Circuit Judge Michael Patchen moved both cases on to District Court. The judge did dismiss one of four charges against one of the two inmates.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.

News Tracker

Last we knew: State and local authorities were investigating incidents at the Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Casper.

The latest: An investigator testified in the case of two former juvenile inmates charged in connection with allegations of sexual assault at the center.

What's next: The inmates are expected to be arraigned in 7th District Court in the next several weeks.