Antrim County Foster Care Provider Accused Of Sexual Assault

<p><em><a href="mailto:payettepc@interlochen.org">By Peter Payette</a></em></p> <p>A foster care provider in Antrim County has been charged with sexual assault. Jere Clark was arrested today and is accused of assaulting and raping a teenage girl over a period of five years.</p> <p>The victim never lived with Clark, but Clark had provided foster care to her mother and police say the girl considered Clark a grandfather. </p> <p>An Antrim County detective says Clark was a foster father to many children in the Bellaire area, possibly caring for one-or-more children up until his arrest Thursday.</p> <p>The Michigan Department of Human Services would not comment on the case. </p> <p>Michigan was sued in 2007 for failing to protect children in foster care. Under a settlement agreement, the state agreed to hire more case workers to protect children in the system.</p>