Former teacher, Blaine mother of 6 arrested by Whatcom deputies for alleged child rape

A Blaine mother of six who is a former teacher and currently a candidate for the local School Board was arrested Friday, June 2, and charged with three counts of child rape, four counts of child sexual assault and drug possession.

Tana Perkins Reneau, 51, was arrested by Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies after detectives for the department investigated a Child Protective Services report regarding the abuse of juveniles, according to Deb Slater, a spokeswoman for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.

The juveniles involved in the Child Protective Services complaint were known to Reneau, said Slater. The Sheriff’s Office did not immediately share how the juveniles and Reneau are connected.

Upon her arrest, Reneau was found to have in her possession a vial of prescription pills for a prescription that was not hers, giving police probable cause to arrest her for possession of a controlled substance, Slater told The Bellingham Herald.

Details about the alleged crimes were not immediately released, including when and where they might have occurred.

She was booked into the Whatcom County Jail. Her bail was set at $500,000 at a preliminary court hearing on Monday. She remains in custody.

Reneau is running for the District 2 director position on the Blaine School Board, according to Whatcom County candidate filing records.

Reneau taught elementary school for 12 years and worked one summer as a school administrator in Kennewick, Washington, according to public records obtained by The Herald and the Kennewick school district.

Reneau has six children, four of whom are adopted, according to a public biography online. Reneau also has a history of involvement in the North Whatcom County Young Life ministry as a leader in a program called YoungLives, which aims to offer guidance, resources and support to teen mothers.