Texas CPS News Archive

CPS Investigator Charged With Sexual Assault of Child

by Scott Gordon

A state worker whose job was to investigate allegations of child abuse was arrested on a charge of sexual abuse of a child, police said.

Nicholas Santos, 34, of Cedar Hill, was being held in the Dallas County jail on a $10,000 bond, records show. Santos had been an investigator for Texas Child Protective Services since March 2006, said CPS spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales.

nbcdfw.com

April 9, 2013

Whole Foods Finally Has a Real Competitor

by Marc Courtenay

Frankly, I seldom shop WFM. The main reason is because there's a locally owned and operated business in my community that sells only natural and organic food and other supplies.

NGVC was built on the premise that consumers should have access to affordable, high-quality foods and dietary supplements, with nutritional guidance to help them support their own health. The family-run store has grown into a successful national chain with locations across Colorado, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, Montana, Kansas, Idaho, Nebraska, Arizona and Oregon. Altogether, the company has 1,800 employees.

thestreet.com

April 8, 2013

Judge: Targeting of DA, assistant DA 'unbelievable'

DALLAS -- In a news conference Monday morning, Kaufman County Judge Bruce Wood said it felt surreal when he received news from the sheriff Saturday night that District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were shot dead in their home.

The fatal shootings took place two months after Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was fatally shot outside the Kaufman County Courthouse. The county is located about 30 miles east of Dallas, but officials in Houston are taking no chances. Over the weekend Harris County D.A. Mike Anderson accepted the sheriff's offer of extra security for him and his family.

khou.com

April 1, 2013

Bill to test welfare applicants for drugs approved

by Chuck Lindell

Drug testing for Texas welfare applicants moved a step closer to reality Tuesday when the bill's author accepted legislative changes to ensure that children would continue to receive benefits if a parent is caught using drugs.

In the original version of the bill by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, children could permanently lose benefits based on a third failed drug test by a parent. Adults who test positive would lose their benefits for one year but could reapply in six months after passing another drug test. Children would continue receiving benefits no matter how many drug tests a parent fails, Nelson said.

statesman.com

March 26, 2013

Home School Discrimination

by Tim Lambert

Fifteen years ago home schooling in Texas was clearly legal as a result of the Texas Supreme Court ruling in the Leeper decision. That decision clarified that home schools were private schools and therefore ended the prosecution of home schoolers.

However, following the Leeper decision, there was still discrimination against home school graduates by colleges and universities. Virtually every institution of higher education in Texas refused to acknowledge a home school graduate as a high school graduate and either required them to obtain a GED and/or meet higher SAT/ACT scores and other admission standards not required of public high school graduates.

thscpac.org

February 8, 2013

Forensic interviewer works with child abuse victims

by Beth Kuhles

Forensic interviewer Rebecca Cunio got all the thanks she needs for what might seem like a tough and thankless job.

This is one of 64 CACs in the state and among 700 others across the country that provide a place where Child Protective Services representatives can interview children who might have been abused or neglected for criminal cases and civil actions. These non-profit agencies provide a number of services to victims and their families, including counseling, therapy and family advocacy.

itemonline.com

December 3, 2012

Setback for the Surveillance State in San Antonio Schools

by Vicki Alger

The fight for civil liberties continues in San Antonio. The Northside Independent School District recently launched its controversial "Student Locator Project," which requires students to carry ID badges equipped with radio frequency tracker chips.

If they refuse, they could face fines, "involuntary transfers," or suspensions. John Jay High School officials insisted the trackers were needed to combat truancy and improve attendance rates. By improving attendance rates the Northside ISD hoped to get an additional $2 million in state funding-that's on top of the reported $815 million in revenue they got in 2008-09 from local, state, and federal sources. (This is the latest year data are available, and note Northside's expenditures exceeded $1 billion. Under "District Details," click "Fiscal.")

blog.independent.org

November 28, 2012

Judge suspended in video beating returns to bench

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A Texas judge shown in a video beating his teenage daughter in 2004 will return to the bench this week after the Texas Supreme Court lifted his suspension.

The justices reinstated Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams on Tuesday, a year after they suspended him with pay when a video of him beating of his daughter became an Internet sensation.

CNS News

November 11, 2012

Protective services chief quits

by Robert T. Garrett

Howard Baldwin, head of Texas protective services, has called it quits. Baldwin has decided to step down as commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services, after only about a year in that post.

Baldwin's been a state government lawyer. The department he's briefly headed includes Child Protective Services. It's been hemorrhaging caseworkers, leading to backlogs. More recently, Abilene law enforcement officials have accused CPS officials there of withholding from them information on a horrific neglect case, in which the wife of an Air Force enlistee allegedly allowed a very young child to go unfed and untended.

trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com

November 8, 2012

Freshman pens, publishes children's adventure book before 18

by Realmatch

University of St. Thomas freshman Janna Tierney can proudly tout that she successfully self-published her first book, "Kerry, Ireland A.D. 800," before she turned 18.

Two years ago, Tierney, an English major from Humble, began writing the book as a class project. A homeschooled student, Tierney's mother suggested she use a story she wrote in seventh grade as a starting point.

yourhoustonnews.com

November 4, 2012

Daycare owner and relative arrested on child abuse charges

by Jozannah Quintanilla

Rogelio Archuleta was arrested Wednesday on three charges of causing serious bodily injury to three adopted children.

Officials say the three children, an 8-year-old boy and two 10-year-old fraternal twins, were adopted by 40-year-old Iliana Archuleta. Rogelio Archuleta was arrested Wednesday at the Honey Tree Preschool and Child Development Center, which is owned by Iliana Archuleta.

woai.com

October 18, 2012

Update: Abilene CPS supervisors still in charge despite criminal investigation

by Ariana Garza

ABILENE - The three Child Protective Services supervisors who Abilene police are investigating for possible tampering with or fabricating evidence, in a case related to a child's death, have maintained their leadership roles at the office as of Wed.

The state's Office of Inspector General is also investigating. Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Spokesman Patrick Crimmins said they will conduct an internal investigation and that they are "cooperating fully" with Abilene police. A search warrant affidavit questions the conduct of CPS Regional Director Bit Whitaker, Program Director Gretchen Denny and Investigation Supervisor Barbara McDaniel.

ktxs.com

October 18, 2012