Jury selection began Tuesday in Keokuk for Ben Trane’s criminal trial. Trane faces charges of sexual abuse of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, and child endangerment, all in relation to his conduct as owner and director of Midwest Academy, a now-shuttered “therapeutic boarding school” for so-called troubled teens in this small town in the southeast corner of Iowa.
Reports indicate nearly half of potential jurors were dismissed in the first day of jury selection, as the court struggles with selecting an impartial jury due to concerns over the community’s connections to the school. Unusually, the prosecution filed a change of venue motion which was opposed by the defense, a reversal of the norm. Trane’s court-appointed lawyer, Lisa Schaefer, told the court Trane would prefer the case be tried in Lee County. Before it closed, Midwest Academy was one of the largest employers in the area.
Jury selection continues Wednesday.