Mothers and experts take the stand at Farr trial
By RICHARD HANNERS
Whitefish Pilot
Testimony by expert witnesses and mothers of alleged victims was heard in the David Farr trial last week.
Farr, 37, was arrested March 1, 2006, and charged with five counts of sexual assault. The charges involve five boys ranging in age from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 years old who attended Montessori Children's House, in Whitefish, in 2005. Farr worked as an administrator at the school.
The boys are legally unavailable for questioning, and jurors heard evidence allowed under the state's hearsay exception rule. Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart Stadler ruled that the five mothers can testify about what their boys told them about Farr.
Farr is represented by Whitefish attorneys Jack and Phyllis Quatman. The state is represented by Flathead County deputy attorneys Dan Guzynski and Lori Adams.
Four mothers testified this week and last week about what their sons had told them and what behavioral changes they had observed.
The defense's strategy has been to show that the evidence provided by the mothers is tainted by leading questions posed to the young boys and by the small-town rumor mill.
The therapist for one of the boys, Jennifer Simon-Thomas, of Kalispell, testified for the state about changes in the boy's behavior. She also said the boy talked about being molested.
The defense questioned whether similar behavioral changes happen in children who were not abused, and Stadler agreed with a defense motion to gain access to Simon-Thomas' notes.
Wendy Dutton, a forensic interviewer at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, testified as an expert witness for the state. On cross-examination, Dutton conceded corroborating evidence, particularly physical evidence, is needed to prove a sexual assault has occurred.
An expert witness for the defense, Tascha Spears, testified out of order after Stadler ruled that the trial was taking longer than expected and some experts needed to leave town.
Spears is a forensic nurse and an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. She explained the importance of evidence-gathering procedures, saying interviews should be tape-recorded as soon as possible and parents should be excluded from the interviewing room.
Phillip Esplin, a forensic psychologist from Phoenix, was the defense's second expert witness and also testified out of order. Esplin said therapy sessions were not a reliable way to gather forensic evidence. He also talked about the reliability of two-year-olds' memories.
Linda Harris, a Montessori staff member, also testified last week. She described the amount of personal contact between Farr and three young boys at the school. Defense attorneys pointed out that only one of the three boys Harris named were among the alleged victims.
The trial could continue through Wednesday or Thursday this week.