A former contracted therapist at Boys Totem Town was sentenced Friday in Ramsey County District Court to 90 days in jail after being convicted of having sex with a 17-year-old client of hers at the residential center for delinquent teens.
Karen Anne Meyer, 30, of St. Paul also received a stayed three-year prison sentence that could be imposed if she violates terms of a 15-year probation.
The probationary terms set by Ramsey District Court Judge Joy Bartscher include no contact with the victim in the case and no contact with males under 18 unless approved by probation.
Meyer pleaded guilty to a count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct after having sex with the teenager in February.
Meyer was working at Totem Town as a contracted mental health therapist when she took a special interest in one of her clients, according to criminal complaints.
The two “developed an intimate relationship,” according to charges.
The boy and another resident went missing Feb. 11, and sources told investigators that Meyer provided the boy with a ride and money. The boy later told police he had been hiding in Meyer’s home and that he and Meyer had sex several times while he was there, but not at Boys Totem Town, according to charges.
Second Judicial District judges stopped referring juvenile defendants to Boys Totem Town in February. Referrals were set to resume in May after broad changes went into effect, including the installation of some 100 security cameras throughout the county-operated facility and redesigned mental health services for program participants.
