First of six trials begins in Casper over Wyoming Boys' School abuse claims
A federal jury will hear evidence that staff at the Worland facility used excessive force and isolation against one former resident.
By Simon Bennett ·
The first of six federal trials concerning the Wyoming Boys' School opened Monday in Casper. The proceedings focus on the case of Blaise Chivers-King, a former resident who alleges staff violated his constitutional rights between 2020 and 2022.
The Wyoming Department of Family Services oversees the 38-acre facility near Worland, which detains delinquent boys ages 12 to 21. Chivers-King is one of six former residents who filed complaints against the school in 2024. His attorneys claim the facility mistreated a child who needed help. State attorneys argue the case involves difficult decisions made in difficult circumstances.
Three defendants sit in the courtroom for this trial: school superintendent Dale Weber and staff members Thad Shaffer and Mike Nelson. They face eight jurors in U.S. District Court. Chivers-King is scheduled to testify Tuesday.
Ciara Boerman, an attorney for Chivers-King, described him as a child struggling with anxiety and anger. She stated that instead of managing his emotions, Nelson and Weber locked him away. Boerman told the jury that Chivers-King was isolated eight times, with one period lasting 15 days. She referred to this as solitary confinement, a label the defense contests.
Boerman presented photos of the isolation room, which had a single window in the door. She said staff sometimes covered that window with a magnet. When Chivers-King looked under the door, a staff member placed a mattress in the crack. Boerman said staff kept him isolated even after he calmed down. At times, he hurt himself to gain interaction. She showed the jury an image of him with a head injury after hitting a wall, noting staff asked him to clean the blood.
Catherine Young, the defense attorney, asserted that staff responded to safety concerns. She said the defendants did their best to keep everyone safe, including Chivers-King. Young stated that the decisions were not easy but did not violate constitutional rights. She told the jury that Chivers-King required more individual attention during detention, which created more work for staff.
"You’ll see that it was not solitary confinement," Young said. She noted that Chivers-King was over 6 feet tall and weighed about 270 pounds. She said he was capable of hurting people. Young also presented a photo of Chivers-King walking a dog at an off-campus animal shelter, a visit arranged by staff to help him stay calm.
The case centers on a video of Shaffer entering Chivers-King's room with a riot shield. In the footage, Shaffer and other staff members restrain Chivers-King against a wall. Boerman called this excessive force. Young said the encounter followed repeated problematic behavior from Chivers-King. She explained that Shaffer used the shield for safety and that nursing staff checked on Chivers-King afterward, finding him okay.
Boerman concluded her opening by stating that Chivers-King continues to struggle with mental health issues related to his time at the school. A doctor diagnosed him with PTSD directly related to his treatment at the facility. Boerman said Chivers-King has become more reclusive and hardly leaves his room. "Blaise left the boys’ school, but the boys’ school has not left him," she said.
Young argued that Chivers-King's mental health struggles, including PTSD, preceded his time at the school. She described his early childhood as marked by repeated abuse and neglect. "In short, for much of Blaise’s childhood, chaos was his normal experience," Young said. The trial is expected to last five to seven days.
