A Clark County judge dismissed a criminal case against former Daybreak Youth Services staffer Alicia Kaye Stowe on Wednesday.

The case involved allegations of sexual misconduct by Stowe involving a 17-year-old patient at a Brush Prairie, Washington, facility for youth with substance abuse issues.

A jury trial was well underway when Superior Court Judge Jennifer Snider threw out the case. She granted the defense’s request that it be dismissed, basing the decision largely on a single answer from the former patient during his testimony. OPB does not name victims of alleged sexual abuse.

When the former patient took the stand, a prosecuting attorney asked him how certain he was that the allegations against Stowe occurred. He said his certainty level was “7 out of 10.”

“I do not believe it could be argued to the jury based on that statement,” Snider said.

After a brief hug in the hallway, Stowe and her family exited the courthouse.

“I was innocent from the beginning,” Stowe said outside.

The case in Clark County Superior Court is the latest conflict surrounding the now-closed Daybreak Youth Services, which has been the target of several allegations about sexual misconduct by staff and investigations by the Washington State Department of Health. Daybreak officials told OPB they were unfairly targeted by the state and that the allegations are false.

Under Washington law, Stowe was accused of sexual misconduct with a minor, which included charges of having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old patient and abusing a supervisory position of power over him.

Throughout Stowe’s trial, her defense attorney Jon McMullen made the case that the former patient’s memory was clouded by a history of drug use, and his recollections of the events from four years ago were inaccurate.

“If the alleged victim in the case says, ‘I can’t get better than 70% in terms of the chance of this having happened in the first place,’ that’s not enough to go to the jury,” McMullen said.

The case against Stowe stretches back to 2021. At the time, she provided inpatient care at Daybreak Youth Services in Brush Prairie. The former patient testified that he was trying to get clean from using methamphetamine. In testimony, he described having a crush on Stowe, who was a skills coach.

Multiple court exhibits from Clark County prosecutors described a growing connection between the two involving shared notes, gifts, records of key fob travel by Stowe through restricted parts of the facility and text messages after the patient left Daybreak.

Clark County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Melinda McMahon made the case that the sexual misconduct at Daybreak led to a sexual relationship after the patient was discharged, while he was living in Lacey, Washington.

“The court’s dismissal terminates the case and prevents the State from being able to refile or retry the case,” McMahon said in a statement. “We are disappointed that the jury was not able to consider the merits of this case, but we respect the court’s ruling.”

History of sexual misconduct allegations

The case is not the only sexual misconduct allegation that has been levied against Daybreak Youth Services. Investigations by law enforcement and the Washington State Department of Health date back several years.

In May 2023, the Washington State Department of Health suspended licenses at Daybreak’s Spokane and Brush Prairie facilities. The agency had attempted to investigate allegations that staff engaged in sexual misconduct with adolescent patients. But Daybreak “refused to cooperate with the investigation,” the agency said in a 2023 statement.

That year, the health agency disciplined Daybreak counselor Kathryn Reinmuth for unprofessional conduct over allegations that she “developed a sexual relationship” with a 17-year-old patient, according to a release from the Department of Health.

Last year another skills coach at Daybreak’s facility in Spokane, Madison Kay Taber, surrendered her counselor license over allegations that she crossed professional boundaries with clients, including sexual contact, according to the health department.

A separate civil case against Daybreak was also thrown out April 1 by a Washington State Court of Appeals. It overturned a contempt order against Daybreak, sought by the state department of health after the agency closed the youth facility.

The department ordered their patients to be relocated within three days. Daybreak did not comply with the order, arguing that it was a “logistically impossible” timeline.

“We had 34 kids that were in mid-treatment,” said Daybreak board member Ron Benfield. “Discharging safely is something that takes normally several weeks of notice.”

Benfield said allegations like those against Stowe or other staff members are not unusual in environments like at Daybreak.

“With troubled teens, teens that have gone through a lot of trauma, wanting five minutes of attention or what not. The stories are clearly made up in several of these cases,” Benfield said.

The future of Daybreak Youth Services remains uncertain. Benfield said while the organization is not currently taking care of youth, the corporation still exists and it’s an open question whether they will resume operations.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/16/daybreak-youth-services-sexual-misconduct-case-dismissed/