Police: Children Services placed 2 kids in home with sexual assault suspects
Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. said in a statement that the child was known to children services.
“If those responsible would have heeded the red flags present, the abuse this child suffered may never have happened,” he said. “This is another tragic child abuse case, showing that we must be vigilant, and continue to put in extra care and effort, which anyone involved in these types of cases should expect. Children deserve no less.”
The Dayton Daily News exclusively reported on the case in March. In a police report obtained by the newspaper, Dayton police alleged two children were placed by Children Services in a home with sexual assault suspects. The report says before Montgomery County Children Services placed the children in his home, Curtiss was the suspect of multiple sex-related crimes dating back to 2006 but was never convicted.
The report also says a teenager living in the home was previously accused of sexually assaulting a child in another county.
New case leads to further calls for review of Children Services
The report says a 4-year-old girl and her brother told their mother that she was being sexually assaulted by Curtiss, but the girl was not removed from the home after it was reported to children services.
The girl’s mother told the Dayton Daily News that she is glad authorities are now taking the allegations against Curtiss seriously.
“(That) could potentially save other children going into the system,” she said.
But she believes someone from Montgomery County Children Services should face more serious consequences for how the complaint was handled when she first reported it nearly two years ago, and for putting her children in a dangerous situation to begin with.
“I think (the caseworker) herself should be charged with something,” she said.
According to a review of records from the Children Services by the Dayton Daily News, the caseworker has received a “letter of instruction” for not adhering to the agency’s mandated reporting policy, but she remains employed at the agency.
Heck told the Dayton Daily News last week that prosecutors have declined to file felony charges against the caseworker.
“As far as my office is concerned in reviewing it with the Dayton Police Department, there was not sufficient evidence to charge a felony in that case,” Heck said.
Dayton police say their investigation continues. The case could still be presented for misdemeanor charges.
Montgomery County Children Services released the following statement about the case:
“The Dayton Police Department released a confidential police report to the media. Our agency has requested a copy of this report, but the prosecutor’s office denied our request on the basis that the report was confidential. We cannot take action or comment on a report we have not seen,” Kevin Lavoie, public information officer said.
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