Former foster mother to stand trial for having sex with Greene County teen in her care

GREENSBURG ? A former foster mother applied "psychological coercion" to keep a Greene County teenager in her care from telling anyone about their sexual relationship, the prosecutor in the case argued Thursday.Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar also accused Joelle Barozzini, 46, of Greensburg, of telling the alleged victim people would have doubts if he told anyone about having sex with her, beginning when he was 16 years old."He was trying to make the best of it," Lazar said at Barozzini's preliminary hearing in Greensburg, where District Judge James Albert ordered her to stand trial on rape and related charges.The former foster child, who is now 24, told his side of the story while he was on the witness stand for more than two hours, saying he and Barozzini had sex nearly 500 times before he moved out of her home in 2013."She said she had a career, a job where people looked up to her," he said. "She said no one would believe me." Barozzini worked at Pressley Ridge in Uniontown as a supervisor for the foster child agency when she took the teen into her home. The arrangement involved therapeutic foster care because the teen had bounced between foster homes and wilderness camps, and along the way he reported other cases of abuse.Barozzini is accused of starting the relationship by slipping his hand up her thigh on a basement couch during a party where a group had gathered to watch a movie."I was nervous. She kissed me," the alleged victim testified. "She grabbed me and pulled me into her room."The bedroom door was open and Barozzini's then-husband was asleep on a couch, he said. "I was kind of frightened. I really didn't know what to do," he said.He also said he feared that his foster mother's husband would kill him if he found out about the relationship.He said Barozzini would say things such as, "We're boyfriend and girlfriend." He said she took him away for weekends where they would stay together in motels."There were sweet moments," said the alleged victim, who is awaiting trial in Westmoreland County on charges of aggravated assault and child endangerment.He also accused her of providing him with alcohol.Barozzini's attorney, William J. McCabe of Greensburg, argued that the prosecution failed to show evidence that the teen had been forced into having sex with his client."It didn't sound like force to me," McCabe said.McCabe said the former foster son stole a diamond ring from Barozzini and took it to a pawn shop, that he also stole a banking card from Barozzini.He also accused the man of never telling authorities about the sexual relationship until he spoke about it to a state trooper when he was being driven from a jail in Greene County to one in Westmoreland after being arrested in the assault case in April 2016.Lazar replied, saying the foster son was aware that complaints had been made about Barozzini to Greene County Children and Youth Services and that "nothing happened."A Greene County CYS administrator was told by another employee in February 2012 about her concerns that Barozzini was involved in a sexual relationship with the boy. That administrator, Dee Dee Blosnich-Gooden, allegedly accused the employee of gossiping and she never notified authorities about the complaint.Blosnich-Gooden later left that job to become deputy administrator of Washington County CYS, and she resigned from that position in May within days of the charges being filed against Barozzini.A Pressley Ridge official has said that Barozzini was placed on administrative leave after the rape allegations surfaced. The state Department of Human Services no longer allows her to accept foster children.Barozzini, of 28 Morningside Drive, was initially charged by Greensburg police with rape by forcible compulsion, institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. The prosecution added a charge of sexual assault against her Thursday.She remains free on $50,000 unsecured bond that was set by Albert at her May 24 arraignment.