A Timothy Hill’s Children’s Ranch employee arrested last year on multiple felony charges for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old resident of the Riverhead group home pleaded guilty Nov. 26 to a misdemeanor charge and faces sentencing next month.
Manuel Roias, 52, of Miller Place was arrested on Sept. 21, 2023, on two counts of rape in the third degree, two counts of criminal sexual act in the third degree and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Riverhead Police said in a press release at the time. Police said an investigation determined Roias had sexual intercourse with the girl both on and off campus over the course of several months, beginning in March 2023.
Roias was indicted by a grand jury on 22 criminal counts, 18 of which were class E felonies, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment in Suffolk County Criminal Court on Oct. 4, 2023 and was released on bail.
On Nov. 26, Roias entered a guilty plea to one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor, which carries a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment and a fine up to $1,000. Roias is due back in court for sentencing on Jan. 23.
Roias’s attorney, John LoTurco, did not return a call seeking more details about the circumstances of Roias’s plea. He said in an email that Roias “has accepted responsibility for his conduct, and hopes his plea can facilitate the healing process for the complainant.”
A spokesperson for Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney did not return emails requesting information and comment on the case.
Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch Executive Director Thaddaeus Hill, in an email this week, declined to answer questions about Roias’ current employment status at the facility. The ranch told Newsday in a statement after Roias’ arrest last year that the facility learned about the allegations against Roias on Aug. 15, 2023 and, pursuant to state-mandated procedures, reported it to the state Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Roias was “immediately reassigned” after learning about the allegations and “later suspended,” according to the facility’a statement to the newspaper.
Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch is a residential group home and transitional housing facility for teens and young adults that has been operating in Riverhead since 1980.
Timothy Hill agreed to pay $1.7 million to settle three lawsuits brought in 2019 by former residents under the New York Child Victims Act, alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse while they lived at the facility at different times in the 1980s and 1990s.
The nonprofit organization filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2023 after accumulating more than $4.8 million in debts, according to the organization’s bankruptcy petition, which was filed in October 2023. Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code allows the debtor to reorganize or restructure its business, while remaining in possession of its assets and continuing to operate. Timothy Hill disclosed the settlements, in which it agreed to pay each of three plaintiffs $566,666, in court filings in its bankruptcy proceeding. A final decree in the bankruptcy proceeding was entered in federal bankruptcy court in Central Islip last month, on Nov. 4.
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