Finally, and much too late, action is being taken against Texas Youth Commission employees who sexually preyed upon their charges.

A West Texas grand jury on Tuesday indicted two former administrators of a Texas Youth Commission lockup on multiple sex abuse charges, ending two years of inactivity in a case that has sparked an overhaul of the state's juvenile correctional system.

"It's about time," said Marc Slattery, a volunteer math teacher who first alerted a Texas Ranger to sex abuse complaints at the school.

The suspects, Ray Brookins and John Paul Hernandez, both 41, were indicted on charges of sexually abusing six youths, ages 16-19, who were incarcerated at the West Texas State School in Pyote in 2004 and 2005.

Brookins, the facility's former assistant superintendent, was arrested at his home in Austin and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. Hernandez, the facility's former principal, was arrested at his parents' home in Fort Stockton; his bail was set at $600,000.

My question -- why did it take so long, and why were these reports covered up for so long? Who will be held responsible for those delays?

If you read the article, you will see the scandal goes deeper still.

Posted by: Greg at 10:48 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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