Couple Admit to Sexually Abusing Teens at Children’s Ranch

BOISE, Idaho (KTVB) -- An Eagle couple who worked as "house parents" at a home for at-risk children pleaded guilty Friday to sexually abusing teenage girls in their care.

Michael and Jennifer Nicole Magill, 31 and 32, each admitted to one count of sexual battery on a minor age 16 or 17 and one count of sexual abuse of a child under 16 as part of a plea agreement that allowed them to shed additional charges. The Magills worked at the Christian Children's Ranch on Duck Alley Road in Eagle when the abuse happened this summer.

The pair sexually abused a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old that had been placed with them through the program. Prosecutor John Dinger said a third victim who says he or she was abused by the Magills recently came forward. The defendants admitted touching the victims sexually and Michael Magill told the judge he had oral sex with the 17-year-old. The Magills lived with up to ten children in a home on the church ranch's 80 acres.

Administrators for the children's ranch alerted police after one of the girls told an adult about the abuse. Both suspects were fired after the allegations came to light, and the children's ranch has cooperated with the investigation, according to the Ada County Sheriff's Office.