19-year-old says he is still haunted after months of alleged sexual abuse by female staffers at youth rehab center

KEARNEY, Neb. (KOLN/Gray News) — A 19-year-old says he is still haunted after months of alleged sexual abuse by female staffers at a youth rehabilitation center in Kansas.

He is one of multiple child victims who have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse.

DaVontae Helmstadter spoke to KOLN after his sister reached out to share his story. He is currently being held at the Saunders County Jail on unrelated theft and drug charges.

Helmstadter made no excuses for the actions that landed him at the Kearney Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center when he was 16.

“I never really had that love growing up,” Helmstadter said. “It was just hard. So I looked toward the streets for love ... it just caused me to commit crimes and go to jail.”

Helmstadter spent nearly two years at the center.

In his interview with KOLN, he detailed months of alleged sexual abuse by former staffer Jessica Camacho.

Camacho’s arrest affidavit corroborated Helmstadter’s claims.

“She’s the person in charge. So it’s like, I’m just listening. I’m just doing what she wants me to do,” Helmstadter said.

Helmstadter said Camacho spent months becoming his friend before the abuse began.

“At first, I didn’t realize what was going on. I’m so young, and it’s like I’m the person incarcerated, so I’m not thinking anything like that would happen to me,” he said.

Camacho allegedly brought in a phone for Helmstadter and a friend to share. That friend is also named in the state’s case against Camacho.

“She would tell us like, ‘I want you guys to go through my pictures, go through all my photos and tell me which ones you guys like.’ And then there’d be naked pictures of her,” Helmstadter said.

Camacho later asked for photos of them in return, Helmstadter alleges, and made clear no one was to find out.

Helmstadter said he is still haunted by the abuse and attempted to end his own life.

“I try to take it one day at a time, you know?” Helmstadter said. “I try not to think about the past and what happened in YRTC. But, you know, it always comes back to me.”

Camacho is the fourth former employee from the center who has been arrested and charged in recent months.

She faces multiple felony counts of sexual abuse, possession of child pornography, and child abuse.

Tarah Ross and Katrina Fewkes are each facing one count of second-degree sexual abuse of a protected person.

Both have pleaded not guilty, as did Camacho.

Martha Ruiz Palacios pleaded no contest to third-degree sexual assault and to contributing to the delinquency of a child and was sentenced to two years.

Camacho’s attorney declined to comment for this story.