A former schoolteacher and current Blaine school board candidate pleaded not guilty Friday in Whatcom County Superior Court to nearly a dozen felony charges that accuse her of torturing and sexually assaulting four children who were known to her.
Tana Perkins Reneau, 51, stood mostly silent before Court Commissioner Ann Vetter-Hansen. Her lawyer entered a plea of not guilty and Reneau said “uh-uh” when Vetter-Hansen asked whether Reneau had any questions.
A tentative trial date was set for 9 a.m. Aug. 28 in Superior Court.
After the hearing, a member of Reneau’s legal staff told The Bellingham Herald that Reneau had no comment. Her legal entourage left quickly through the rear courthouse stairwell.
Reneau, who is on the Aug. 1 primary election ballot for a seat on the Blaine school board, remains free after posting $500,000 bond on June 10.
She’s facing four counts of second-degree child assault, three counts of first-degree incest, one count of first-degree child rape, one count of second-degree child rape, one count of third-degree child rape, and one count of second-degree assault, all related to the alleged years-long physical and sexual abuse of four children, according to court records.
She was arrested June 2 after investigations conducted by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and state Child Protective Services alleged the abuses occurred from January 2020 through May 2023, according to court documents.
The children — who are not being named — reported the abuse to authorities, according to court documents. They include three girls ages 7 to 14 and one boy older than 10, according to court records.
Reneau has at least six children, including four who are adopted.
Three of the four children are Black and Reneau, who is white, called them racial slurs, according to court documents.
She taught in Kennewick schools, according to a resume posted on her public Linked-In account before moving to Blaine in 2011.
Reneau has been involved with North Whatcom County Young Life ministry and was a leader in the YoungLives program, which aimed to offer guidance, resources and support to teenage mothers. She also was the director of Lions Camp Horizon, which is a recreational camp for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities.
This story was originally published June 16, 2023 11:43 AM.
