Sexual harassment and whistle blowing accusations were filed in complaints last week against a high desert homeless shelter charging inappropriate behavior against women, and men targeted after signing a petition against the facility.

John Littrell, a recent resident of the facility, said that he and other clients started a petition three weeks ago against one staff member for drinking on the job and open sexual

advances to women at the facility.

Littrell said that people involved in the petition have been harassed, and most have already been kicked out of the shelter. Formerly a homeless veteran, Littrell said he fell down on his luck after a divorce, and started living at the shelter in July, and has been clean and sober for a year and a half.

“The upper echelon of this shelter has kicked out three people because they signed the petition,” he said.

So far, 12 people have signed on to the petition outlining the shelter's unsafe practices. The petition is calling to revamp the facility with tighter oversight.

He said they were all targeted after calling for a meeting with the Board, and hand delivering the petition.

“Nothing that we say is unsubstantiated. Everything we've said, every accusation is substantiated,” he said.

Keith Johnson said that he recently began volunteering at the shelter as a life skills teacher, and that he personally was approached by several women who told him that staff at the facility are “preying upon” single moms.

He counseled one couple who moved out, that they should also take a 22-year-old homeless girl with them because she was being solicited to work at the local flesh club.

“One of them is moving out today, a really attractive young lady that they wanted her to dance at the club,” he said last Friday. “She's leaving this evening.”

But he added that the homeless shelter doesn't need to be shut down as much as cleaned up.

“The homeless facility is definitely needed. They [the clients] don’t need more stress,” he said.

Past homeless resident Debra McCawley O’Brien said that while she was living at the shelter, the same staff member requested a ride from her, smelling strongly of alcohol. He sexually harassed her, came on to her, but she didn’t say anything for fear of getting kicked out.

At the shelter three weeks, O’Brien was on medication for depression, and said she also stood at the door in the facility one day, and overheard staff laughing at her for being depressed.

“I’ve been diagnosed with depression. When you end up homeless, you’re going to be depressed,” she said. “I felt very humiliated.”

She signed onto the petition and filed a report with the Sheriff’s office last week about her own experience and what she witnessed against other women.

Since then, she said that particular staff member was let go.

But Luciano Sartoresi Sr., who also lived at the shelter, filed a complaint that he personally heard the other night staff members talk of pandering young women to a local flesh club in Hesperia, where he also works.

“I don’t feel that any women should be abused, I’m a Christian,” he said. “People should be treated with dignity.”

Sartoresi, also a recent resident at the homeless shelter, said that the women came to him and Littrell when they were trying to help one senior, 66 years old, who fell while trying to climb up to a top bed at the shelter, and suffered a stroke.

He said that he personally witnessed a staff member inappropriately touch the mother at the shelter, and pinch her derriere. And that he overhead a staff member’s telephone conversation trying to get one of the young women to work at the local flesh club.

“Some of these women were scared because they had warrants and might get kicked out of the shelter. Everybody that signed the petition except for one guy has been thrown out on a falsehood of drinking,” Sartoresi said.

The High Desert Homeless Services, Inc. was not available for comment by press time.

Sgt. Hughes at the Victor Valley Police Department said that the Sheriff’s Department has received the three complaints last week regarding the shelter practices. A report has been filed and documented, but currently is not an ongoing investigation.

If the clients want to follow through with the state agency or licensing board, they can refer back to the report for whatever future internal investigation, he said, noting that the case may not be a criminal case, but may fall under a civil crime.

He added that the case could also be submitted to the district attorney for review for possible criminal prosecution.

“If there’s actually a crime, unwanted sexual touching, then we would put the case together and submit it to the district attorney,” he said.

Sgt. Hughes added that a woman with a warrant is afraid to come forward; unless the warrant is for a violent crime, or violation of parole the department would not arrest her, and issue a new court date. They would take a statement from the daughter, whom witnesses said was sexually harassed.

“It’s more important to try to get the perpetrator behind someone molesting a child,” he said.