Ore. woman, 84, pleads guilty in boy's sex abuse case

PORTLAND — An 84-year-old woman accused of attempted rape involving an 11-year-old boy in her foster care has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after confessing to having sex with the child, prosecutors said today.

Georgia Audean Buoy, of The Dalles, a Columbia River town about 90 miles east of Portland, will serve 36 months in prison, said Leslie Wolf, chief deputy district attorney for Wasco County.

Buoy originally faced six separate charges but reached a plea agreement on a single charge with prosecutors, Wolf said.

In a taped confession, Buoy admitted having sex with the boy while he was in her care in 2004, Wolf said.

"Obviously, with this case, there is going to be a lot of disbelief so we wanted make sure people knew it was a confession," Wolf said.

She said that Buoy was a longtime member of the Columbia River community and her church, and volunteered at the county jail.

Church officials were not immediately available for comment. Buoy's attorney, Andrew Carter, also was not immediately available.

Buoy pleaded guilty to attempted sex abuse in Wasco County Circuit Court in The Dalles. She must register as a sex offender after serving her sentence at the Coffee Creek women's prison in Wilsonville.

Buoy also must pay $5,000 in fines to the victim, as well as up to $7,500 in restitution for counseling.

District Attorney Eric Nisley said he believes that Buoy will be the oldest inmate at Coffee Creek, just south of Portland.

He said it is the only case in his memory involving sexual abuse of a boy by an elderly woman — but it was handled like any other case.

"When an adult victimizes a child, the sex of either partner is irrelevant — the damage is done and it's permanent," Nisley said.