A former Green Hill School corrections employee who is already facing charges for allegedly “turning a blind eye” to an assault inside the facility in January was arrested again on Wednesday for multiple counts of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct.
A former Green Hill School corrections employee who is already facing charges for allegedly “turning a blind eye” to an assault inside the facility in January was arrested again on Wednesday for multiple counts of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct.
Michelle Goodman, 31, of Centralia, was arrested at approximately 6:20 p.m. on Oct. 16 without incident, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
“Earlier this month, Chehalis detectives were made aware of a possible custodial misconduct at the Green Hill Juvenile Corrections facility involving a female corrections officer and a male inmate,” the Chehalis Police Department stated in a news release on Thursday. “During the detective’s investigation, they learned Ms. Goodman was employed by Green Hill as a corrections officer and during that time had sexual relations with a 23-year-old male inmate.”
Security footage from the facility reportedly shows Goodman and the inmate meeting in the staff locker area on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday.
The inmate’s civil attorney — who is representing him in a lawsuit filed in Thurston County Superior Court earlier this month alleging Goodman groomed him for sex and encouraged him to videotape their sexual encounters — reportedly provided detectives with photos of sexually explicit interactions between Goodman and the inmate. Several of the photographs were taken inside a staff bathroom.
“The photographs show Ms. Goodman in at least three different outfits, indicating at least three different incidents of sexual contact,” according to charging documents.
Goodman had a preliminary hearing for the custodial sexual misconduct charges at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17, in Lewis County Superior Court, where bail was set at $100,000.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24.
Goodman is still employed at Green Hill, Goodman’s mother told the court Thursday.
Court documents indicate she began working at Green Hill in February 2023.
Goodman was previously arrested on March 11 on prison riot, abuse of office and fourth-degree conspiracy to commit assault charges for her alleged involvement in a January incident where two Green Hill inmates attacked another inmate.
She was released on $20,000 unsecured bail on March 12 and remained out of custody until her arrest on Wednesday.
Goodman was set to plead guilty and be sentenced in that case later this month, but after Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer was alerted to the new lawsuit by KING 5, he said, “We are withdrawing that plea offer at this time,” according to KING 5 reporting.
KING 5 published its article about the lawsuit on Oct. 2. Charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday indicate the Chehalis Police Department was first notified of the alleged sexual misconduct on Oct. 3.
“This incident is still under investigation and no further information related to the case is being released at this time,” the Chehalis Police Department stated in the news release.
“This is the fifth person employed by Green Hill we have arrested in 2024, three of which involved sexual misconduct,” the Chehalis Police Department stated.
All five former Green Hill employees arrested this year for alleged offenses at the facility were employed as corrections staff when the alleged offenses occurred.
Emily Norene Baker, 29, of Chehalis, was arrested Aug. 8 for abuse of office and tampering with a witness for allegedly helping facilitate an inappropriate sexual relationship between another corrections employee and an adult inmate. She’s also accused of talking to the other corrections employee about the case following her arrest. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held in the Lewis County Jail on $100,000 bail. Trial had not been scheduled as of Thursday morning.
The other employee, Angel M. Misner, 32, of Ethel, was charged July 25 with first-degree custodial misconduct, second-degree custodial misconduct and witness tampering. She has pleaded not guilty on all charges and is being held at the Lewis County Jail on $500,000 bail. Trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 21.
Eddie Antonio Zavala, 37, of Winlock, was arrested in July for allegedly selling meth and other contraband to an inmate on June 15. His case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled in the same court, on Oct. 15, according to court documents.
Months earlier, on Jan. 19, Aaron D. Snideman, 42, of Centralia, was arrested for allegedly bringing marijuana into the facility. He was acquitted in a non-jury trial on Aug. 30, according to court documents.
The alleged offenses committed by corrections staff at Green Hill School are part of a pattern of rising crime and violence at the facility.
“After reviewing reported crimes involving Green Hill School in recent years, in 2022, 15
incidents were reported, in 2023, 74 incidents were reported and so far in 2024, 184 incidents have been reported,” the Chehalis Police Department stated. “If this trend continues, the number of incidents reported this year will triple those from 2023.”
Staff from Green Hill and the Chehalis Police Department developed guidelines last September for Green Hill to turn over evidence to the Chehalis Police Department and established a process to create comprehensive evidence packets to accompany evidence.
Before that, in August 2023, the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) served a warrant at Green Hill and seized evidence they alleged was improperly stored.
Overcrowding at Green Hill School has been cited among the reasons for a rise in crime at the facility, which have included drug possession, assault and other felony charges. As of July 23, 228 aggressive acts have occurred in state juvenile rehabilitation facilities across the state this year, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Chehalis City Manager Stacy Denham, who was chief of the Centralia Police Department when JNET served the warrant at Green Hill, said in September that the Chehalis Police Department has two detectives dedicated to investigating incidents at Green Hill School and might need additional assistance from neighboring agencies.
“The Chehalis Police Department will continue to aggressively investigate those who are involved in criminal activity at Green Hill School,” the Chehalis Police Department said in the news release. “Anyone who may have information about this incident or about any other criminal activity occurring in the Green Hill School (is) encouraged to contact the Chehalis Police Department at 360-748-8605.”
Green Hill School is a juvenile detention facility in Chehalis that falls under the direction of the state Department of Children, Youth and Families.
