Texas officials were kept in the dark about a foster care facility employee who allegedly sold nude pictures of two girls in their care due to the team culture created by a Child Protective Services manager, a top official told state lawmakers.
Steve McCraw, Texas Department of Public Safety director, told lawmakers he believes the staff member will be charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and possibly possession of child pornography.
Masters also told lawmakers that staffers at The Refuge did not do enough to ensure the return of a resident who was one of two kids who ran away from the facility, allegedly with the help of an employee. “This child called [The Refuge] and said, ‘I’m tired of walking. Can someone come and get me?’” Masters said. “And no one did.”
The staff member accused of assisting her was fired. The Refuge spokesperson Steven Phenix said in a statement to The Texas Tribune that his team “has no record of this” but will address allegations next week during another hearing before lawmakers.In that incident, a former Refuge staff member was arrested for lying to law enforcement after saying she hadn’t been in contact with one of the girls who ran away, according to Masters.
It's unclear how many family members related to the alleged perpetrator worked at the facility and how exactly they are related to her. But Masters said DFPS should not have treated the situation as solved just because that employee was fired if her relatives remained.
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