Staff 'did not believe' 13-year-old sexual assault victim, youth treatment center now closed
NOWTHEN, Minn. (FOX 9) - A former youth facility worker is accused of assaulting a 13-year-old girl, and a memo from the Department of Human Services states staff initially "did not believe" her and did not call 911.
An Anoka County criminal complaint states Peter Villareale, 67, of Fridley, is charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct for the alleged assault of a 13-year-old girl at a youth treatment center where he worked.
Youth worker charged with sexual assault
The accusations:
The incident was first reported by the victim on Sept. 21, 2025, with court documents saying the assault happened earlier in the day.
Anoka County deputies say they responded to the Bar None treatment center in Nowthen and spoke to a 13-year-old girl who said she attempted suicide after a facility staff member touched her that morning.
The girl told deputies that she "got naked" after Villareale gave her a THC vape pen, and he then sexually assaulted her.
A subsequent sexual assault examination confirmed Villareale's saliva was on the girl's body, the complaint states.
Investigators also reported viewing security footage that showed Villareale in the girl's room with the door closed at the time of the alleged assault.
The girl also said Villareale showed her pornography on his phone.
Youth worker questioned:
The complaint states that Villareale admitted to being with the girl at the time of the alleged assault, and that she said she "was not feeling well and asked him to call 911 and mentioned wanting to kill herself."
Villareale told law enforcement he was instructed by his supervisor to remain with the girl and "talk to her." He also claimed the girl "fell several times, and he picked her up by her arms and set her in her bed before covering her up and shutting the door again," according to the complaint.
Villareale claimed the girl left her room, followed him to the office and continued to ask him to call 911 "until he grabbed the phone from her and threw it."
The complaint states Villareale said that the girl "started screaming that he touched her," which he denied.
Investigators then asked if the girl made any sexual advance toward him, and Villareale said she "took her shirt off and tried to hold his hand," but he said he told her "no."
Villareale claimed the saliva on the girl's body was likely from him picking her up and placing her on the bed, and that he "must have been drooling a lot when he did so."
Investigators also confirmed pornography sites were accessed at the time of the alleged assault, but Villareale said the girl took the phone without his permission and must have opened the sites during that time.
Staff ‘did not believe’ assault victim, MN Dept. of Human Services says
Dig deeper:
A memo from the Minnesota Department of Human Services states that staff members initially refused to call 911 when the girl told them about the assault.
According to that memo, the girl said she was speaking to her therapist about the incident and then called 911 herself, saying she "started a crisis because she wanted to make sure she was getting someone to listen to her."
The girl was returned to the youth facility after the sexual assault examination was completed.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services reports that it issued a $1,000 fine "as a result of the substantiated maltreatment for which the facility was responsible."
The state had initially claimed that the facility was responsible for failure to report the maltreatment, but that determination was rescinded, and the state found "the facility was no longer responsible for failure to report" according to the memo.
Volunteers of America closes Bar None facility in Nowthen
What they're saying:
The facility closed on June 30, 2026.
Volunteers of America President and CEO Karina Forrest Perkins released the following statement:
"Our responsibility is to the wellbeing of the youth we serve, and to ensure we are positioned to provide care in the most effective and sustainable way. As the behavioral health landscape continues to evolve, we recognize there are multiple ways to address the growing mental health needs of youth and families across Minnesota. This decision reflects a careful and deliberate assessment of our programs and where we are best positioned to deliver care going forward."
The company said the incident was not the reason for the facility closure and that Bar None has a "pending administrative appeal" regarding the matter.
The Source: This story uses information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Anoka County, memos from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and a news release from Volunteers of America announcing the closure of Bar None.