A youth development coach at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg was arrested Tuesday for improper sexual activity with a person in custody and indecency with a child.
Todd Hanks, 50, has been with the agency since 2005, a release from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department said.
“After an employee made an allegation against Hanks this morning, he was removed from having any contact with youth and suspended without pay,” Tuesday’s release read. “He then was interviewed by officers from TJJD’s Office of the Inspector General and immediately terminated from employment. This evening, he was arrested and booked into the Hidalgo County Jail.”
According to the release, TJJD followed the Prison Rape Elimination Act guidelines and the victim received medical and clinical attention, notifying his family.
“I am outraged by this incident, and we will pursue the highest possible penalties available against this former staff member,” TJJD Executive Director Camille Cain wrote. “This agency has zero tolerance for any employee who preys upon or endangers the youth in our care, and we will always respond swiftly to such allegations. I am heartbroken for the youth, and we are doing everything we can to provide proper treatment and care.”
