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Feb 4, 2009 6:53 pm US/Central
Finger-Pointing After Teacher's Sex Abuse Arrest
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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Pen Dwaine Standifer, of Crystal, Minn., was charged with three counts of felony criminal sexual conduct.
Hennepin County
The woman in charge of the foster care program in Hennepin County is defending her department in the wake of a teacher's alleged sexual abuse.
Deb Huskins says her workers did a full investigation when a boy claimed his foster dad sexually abused him three years ago.
Pen Standifer was charged on Tuesday with abusing two other boys in his care. He's now out of jail and back home in Crystal.
Many are asking why, even after that first allegation of abuse in 2006, Standifer was allowed to care for young men. He fostered thirteen children the last six years.
"People, as well as we, are asking, 'Is there something we missed?' Absolutely, we should be asking that. 'Is there something we can do to make sure that this never happens again?' Absolutely. That's a very legitimate question," said Huskins.
He held two important jobs where he was supposed to be protecting children: teacher and foster parent. He was a special education teacher at North View Junior High in Brooklyn Park, which is in the Osseo School District.
Now investigators say he hurt children, and problems with his parenting could reach back three years.
Huskins vows a full review of the Standifer case after allegations from late 2006 recently became public. Standifer was caring for two teenagers at this home in Brooklyn Center. They claimed he smoked marijuana with them and touched them inappropriately.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman talked about it on Tuesday at a news conference.
"That matter was reported to the Brooklyn Center Police. It was investigated. It was turned over to Hennepin County Child Protection and no further action was taken at that time," he said.
But Huskins defends her department. In fact, she says child protection investigators and Brooklyn Center Police worked together on that case.
"We did a thorough investigation. We examined the evidence with the police, and we both came to the same conclusion," Huskins said. "I understand what Mr. Freeman said. I think that's an unfortunate conclusion. We did not drop the ball."
The allegations, she says, weren't true, so Standifer kept his foster care license. Since allegations surfaced on this case from 2006, and since he's been charged with molesting two other teens, the State of Minnesota has taken away his foster care license.
"We wouldn't have a child placed there, if we knew it was an unsafe place for that child," Huskins said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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