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Kansas agency investigated alleged sexual assault of foster child by Saint Francis employee - Kansas Reflector

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TOPEKA — Kansas authorities have investigated a report that an unnamed Saint Francis Ministries employee picked up a boy from a foster parent and sexually assaulted the child in a motel room.According to a complaint filed with the Kansas Department for Children and Families, after the man abused the boy, a woman arrived at the motel and took the boy for a bike ride before delivering the child to his mother.Kansas Reflector learned of the allegation through an open records request for complaints involving foster children under the care of Saint Francis.DCF and Saint Francis declined to provide details about the case, including the age of the boy, the location of the abuse, and whether the allegation was substantiated. They cited Kansas statute that prohibits the disclosure of foster care records.Morgan Rothenberger, spokeswoman for Saint Francis, said DCF notified a local office of the complaint on Oct. 2. Saint Francis staff reviewed records and complied with all requests for information by DCF, she said.“We fully support their investigation and their determination of next steps,” Rothenberger said.Mike Deines, a spokesman for DCF, said the agency responds to complaints of sexual abuse by working with law enforcement to investigate the claims. That includes interviewing possible witnesses and a forensic interview with the alleged victim. DCF then makes a finding in the case.Deines said he couldn’t divulge the outcome of the October complaint.“The only thing I can share related to status is that it is completed,” Deines said.Names are redacted in the complaint document, including the name of the individual who reported the alleged abuse. The complaint indicates the boy told a woman he had been molested by a Saint Francis driver.“(Redacted) told her a man in a red truck with a beard with brown hair picked him up from his foster home to take him for a visit with his mother and the man took (redacted) to a hotel,” the complaint says. “The man stuck fingers in his butt and then ejaculated on top of (redacted) head. Then a woman came in to the motel room, took (redacted) and they went for a bike ride and then the woman took (redacted) to see his mom for a visit.”Deines said agency policy requires DCF to notify the foster care provider of a complaint within five days. In emergency situations, intervention with a child victim is required within two hours.Saint Francis conducts background checks as part of its hiring process, as required by DCF, Rothenberger said.“When an employee is identified as an alleged perpetrator in an abuse or neglect report, the organization places the employee on administrative leave and no further client contact occurs until the finding decision from DCF,” Rothenberger said. “If the event is substantiated, the employee is terminated and is no longer eligible for employment. If it’s appropriate, law enforcement is contacted to begin an investigation.”The investigation was initiated shortly before the Saint Francis board was made aware of , who left the organization in November.XRepublishing Guidelines ▪ You must give Kansas Reflector credit, including https://kansasreflector.com and author.▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Kansas Reflector.▪ Stories may be edited for in-house style or to shorten. More substantial changes should be noted as additional and conducted by your publication.▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credit to Kansas Reflector with the stories with which they originally appeared. For any other uses, you must seek permission from us at ▪ If you share the story on social media, please mention kansasreflector on Twitter and kansasreflector on Facebook.▪ Don't sell the story.▪ Don’t sell ads against the story. Feel free, however, to publish it on a page with ads you’ve already sold.by Sherman Smith, January 29, 2021 Kansas agency investigated alleged sexual assault of foster child by Saint Francis employee  by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector  January 29, 2021 TOPEKA — Kansas authorities have investigated a report that an unnamed Saint Francis Ministries employee picked up a boy from a foster parent and sexually assaulted the child in a motel room.According to a complaint filed with the Kansas Department for Children and Families, after the man abused the boy, a woman arrived at the motel and took the boy for a bike ride before delivering the child to his mother.Kansas Reflector learned of the allegation through an open records request for complaints involving foster children under the care of Saint Francis.DCF and Saint Francis declined to provide details about the case, including the age of the boy, the location of the abuse, and whether the allegation was substantiated. They cited Kansas statute that prohibits the disclosure of foster care records.Morgan Rothenberger, spokeswoman for Saint Francis, said DCF notified a local office of the complaint on Oct. 2. Saint Francis staff reviewed records and complied with all requests for information by DCF, she said.“We fully support their investigation and their determination of next steps,” Rothenberger said.Mike Deines, a spokesman for DCF, said the agency responds to complaints of sexual abuse by working with law enforcement to investigate the claims. That includes interviewing possible witnesses and a forensic interview with the alleged victim. DCF then makes a finding in the case.Deines said he couldn’t divulge the outcome of the October complaint.“The only thing I can share related to status is that it is completed,” Deines said.Names are redacted in the complaint document, including the name of the individual who reported the alleged abuse. The complaint indicates the boy told a woman he had been molested by a Saint Francis driver.“(Redacted) told her a man in a red truck with a beard with brown hair picked him up from his foster home to take him for a visit with his mother and the man took (redacted) to a hotel,” the complaint says. “The man stuck fingers in his butt and then ejaculated on top of (redacted) head. Then a woman came in to the motel room, took (redacted) and they went for a bike ride and then the woman took (redacted) to see his mom for a visit.”Deines said agency policy requires DCF to notify the foster care provider of a complaint within five days. In emergency situations, intervention with a child victim is required within two hours.Saint Francis conducts background checks as part of its hiring process, as required by DCF, Rothenberger said.“When an employee is identified as an alleged perpetrator in an abuse or neglect report, the organization places the employee on administrative leave and no further client contact occurs until the finding decision from DCF,” Rothenberger said. “If the event is substantiated, the employee is terminated and is no longer eligible for employment. If it’s appropriate, law enforcement is contacted to begin an investigation.”The investigation was initiated shortly before the Saint Francis board was made aware of , who left the organization in November.is part of States Newsroom, a network of news outlets supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on and . Copy to clipboard1Republish this storyOur stories may be republished online or in print under . We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.Kansas Reflector is a nonprofit news operation providing in-depth reporting, diverse opinions and daily coverage of state government and politics. This public service is free to readers and other news outlets.Contact us:© Kansas Reflector, 2021Adjust Font SizeA-A+Reset Font SizeSpotlight Tab Key NavigationSwitch to Plain FontUnderline LinksHighlight LinksReset All OptionsGreyscale ImagesInvert Colors

TOPEKA — Kansas authorities have investigated a report that an unnamed Saint Francis Ministries employee picked up a boy from a foster parent and sexually assaulted the child in a motel room.According to a complaint filed with the Kansas Department for Children and Families, after the man abused the boy, a woman arrived at the motel and took the boy for a bike ride before delivering the child to his mother.Kansas Reflector learned of the allegation through an open records request for complaints involving foster children under the care of Saint Francis.DCF and Saint Francis declined to...

Kansas agency investigated alleged sexual assault of foster child by Saint Francis employee - Kansas Reflector

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