Records filed June 5 in Whatcom County Superior Court provide more detail on a Blaine school board candidate who was arrested on suspicion of child rape, assault and possession of a controlled substance.
Tana Perkins Reneau, 51, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on June 2 on charges of child rape in the first, second and third degrees; four counts of assault of a child in the second degree; and possession of a controlled substance, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) spokesperson Deb Slater wrote in an email to The Northern Light.
Slater stated that Child Protective Services reported the child abuse to WCSO on May 19.
According to the affidavit of probable cause (APC) filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, four children, ages seven to 14 who were known to Reneau, reported they had been physically and sexually abused by Reneau as punishment. The children also told investigators that Reneau called them racial slurs, according to court documents.
During an interview at Brigid Collins Family Support Center, the children reported that Reneau sexually assaulted them. One child was sexually assaulted as punishment for perceived stealing and another child was sexually assaulted after being beaten, according to the APC.
Court records show the physical abuse included Reneau forcing some of the children to sleep nude in the shower, pinching them or pulling their hair until they bled, and striking them with hard objects including an electrical cord and shovel.
A Brigid Collins nurse discovered scarring and marks consistent with abuse after conducting a medical examination on the children. The nurse found two children with chipped teeth, a linear scar consistent with being whipped by a cord and gouges inside of a child’s mouth, according to court records.
WCSO deputies found a vial of gabapentin prescription pills on Reneau when she was arrested, according to the APC, and Reneau told deputies that the pills were her son’s prescription. Gabapentin is used to treat seizures and pain from shingles and is a Schedule V controlled substance, which the National Institutes of Health classifies as being the least likely controlled substances to be abused.
As of June 7, Whatcom County Jail records show Reneau was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Reneau is the mother of at least six children, four of whom were adopted through the foster care system, according to a 2017 Young Life biography.
Reneau filed to run against two other candidates in the August primary for the Blaine school board district 2 seat that represents east Blaine and south of downtown. She previously ran for Blaine school board in 2019 but lost.
Reneau has been suspended without pay from her position as director of Lions Camp Horizon, a Birch Bay camp for people with developmental and physical disabilities. The Camp Horizon Foundation has appointed an interim director.
“[Reneau] has been suspended without pay pending resolution of these matters in a court of law and has no engagement in camp matters during her suspension,” wrote Camp Horizon Foundation president Don Webster in an email.
Reneau had worked as camp director since March 2022, according to a Lynden Lions Club newsletter.
In May 2021, Reneau founded the Better Buttermint Co., which employs people with developmental disabilities to make buttermints that are sold locally.
Reneau has been involved with North Whatcom Young Life, a religious organization for students, and its branch for teen moms, North Whatcom YoungLives. She worked as a principal and teacher in Kennewick before she moved to Blaine in 2011, according to previous reporting from The Northern Light.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic or sexual violence, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS) 24-hour hotline is available at 360/715-1563 or 877/715-1563.
Brigid Collins Family Support Center, a Bellingham-based nonprofit working to end child abuse, can be reached at 360/734-4616 and brigidcollins.org.
Lummi Victims of Crime has a 24-hour helpline at 360/312-2015. The National Domestic Violence Helpline operates a chat line at thehotline.org/help.
This article was updated June 7 to include information that was published in the June 8 print issue of The Northern Light.
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