The jury trial for a Blaine woman accused of torturing and sexually assaulting four children known to her has been rescheduled until early spring.
Tana Perkins Reneau, 52, was charged June 5 in Whatcom County Superior Court with four counts of second-degree child assault (domestic violence); three counts of first-degree incest (domestic violence); one count of first-degree child rape (domestic violence); one count of second-degree child rape (domestic violence); one count of third-degree child rape (domestic violence); and one count of second-degree assault (domestic violence); all related to the alleged years-long physical and sexual abuse of four children, according to court records.
Each of the 11 felony charges includes at least three aggravating factors that would allow prosecutors to seek an exceptional prison sentence for Reneau above the standard range for her crimes.
For each of the felony charges Reneau is facing, prosecutors allege that Reneau's conduct during the crimes manifested deliberate cruelty to the victims, that the crimes involved domestic violence, and that the crimes were part of "an ongoing pattern of psychological, physical or sexual abuse of a victim or multiple victims manifested by multiple incidents over a prolonged period of time," court documents state.
Each of the assault charges accuse Reneau of intentionally assaulting four children, which caused bodily harm greater than transient pain or minor temporary marks to each of the children. The charges also include allegations that Reneau previously engaged in a pattern or practice of either assaulting the children and causing bodily harm greater than transient pain or minor marks, or that the children were caused physical pain or agony "that is equivalent to that produced by torture," court records state.
Reneau pleaded not guilty to the charges at her arraignment June 16.
If convicted, she could face life in prison.
The abuse of the children, who are not being named, is alleged to have occurred from January 2020 through May 2023. Three of the four children are Black, and Reneau, who is white, is accused of calling them racial slurs, court documents show.
Reneau has at least six children, four of whom are adopted. She was previously a school teacher and has run unsuccessfully multiple times for a Blaine School Board seat.
She was arrested June 2 and released from the Whatcom County Jail on June 10 on a $500,000 bond. Reneau used a local bail bond company, according to court records.
Reneau's case is just one of the high-profile child abuse cases that have occurred locally over the past several years.
Compared to the Washington state average and other counties similar in size, Whatcom County has a high rate of child abuse.
Since 2007, the county's rates of child abuse and neglect have been well above the state average. Data from the state department of social and health services show that more than 2,000 children are identified as victims of abuse or neglect each year in Whatcom County, and that number has been increasing, The Herald previously reported.
Wednesday hearing
Reneau's jury trial was rescheduled to late March after a brief status hearing for the case Wednesday morning, Dec. 20.
Reneau's criminal defense attorney, Todd Anderson, requested Reneau's jury trial be continued to a later date due to the number of alleged victims and the amount of discovery, or investigative information, involved in the case.
"We still have a long way to go," Anderson said Wednesday in court.
Reneau also signed a waiver of her speedy trial rights, which allows the court to reschedule her tentative jury trial date.
The Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney's Office had no objections in court to rescheduling the dates in the case.
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Rob Olson said he recognized this was a complicated case due to a variety of reasons, and that Reneau's defense attorney will need "a significant amount of time" in order to be prepared for trial.
Cases of this nature take more preparation time than other criminal cases, Olson said, adding that there is particular sensitivity when it comes to the alleged victims in the case. Deciding whether to interview the children is in and of itself "a momentous decision" for the attorneys, in part because of the possibility of retraumatizing the children, he said.
Olson found that there were substantial and compelling reasons to continue the case.
He tentatively rescheduled Reneau's jury trial for March 18.
This has been the fourth time Reneau's case has been continued, according to court records. Continuances in higher felony level cases such as this are not uncommon.
The Herald has reached out to Reneau's defense attorney and the prosecutor's office for comment and additional information.
Abuse allegations
Three female children ranging in age from 7 to 14 years old and one male child over the age of 10, all of whom were known to Reneau, came forward with allegations that Reneau had been physically and sexually abusing them as punishment.
Whatcom County Sheriff's Office detectives were assigned the case after a report was made to the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families Child Protective Services department.
Child forensic interviews done by Brigid Collins Family Support Center found that some of the physical pain allegedly inflicted upon the children was equivalent to torture. Medical exams found scarring and markings consistent with abuse and two of the children had chipped teeth, according to court records.
Reneau is also accused of physically abusing the children using closed fists and household items, including wooden boards, cords and a shovel, the court records state.
A sexual assault protection order has been put in place between Reneau and the four children.
The Herald has asked for an update regarding the status and welfare of the children.
Teacher and candidate
Reneau previously taught in the Kennewick School District in the Tri-Cities for 13 years before moving to Blaine in 2011, according to prior reporting in The Herald.
Since moving to Whatcom County more than a decade ago, Reneau has served on multiple curriculum and technology adoption committees, but it's unclear whether she's ever taught in Blaine schools.
The Herald has reached out to the Blaine School District and the Washington Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction for additional information.
Reneau received her master's degree in elementary level teaching from Washington State University and a bachelor's in business administration from Linfield University, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Reneau filed to run for an open seat on the Blaine School Board this year, but did not advance to the August primary. Despite her arrest, she received 23% of the vote. She also ran unsuccessfully for the school board in 2019.
Reneau has been involved with North Whatcom County Young Life ministry and was a leader in the YoungLives program, which aims to offer guidance, resources and support to teenage mothers.
She opened a candy company in 2021, called Better Buttermint Co., where she employed young adults with developmental disabilities.
Reneau was also the director of Lions Camp Horizon, which is a recreational camp for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. She was suspended without pay from her position as director of the camp, the Blaine Northern Light first reported.
A defense attorney who appeared with Reneau for the purposes of her first court appearance in June said Reneau had been fired from the camp director position due to the allegations of abuse.
