Hamilton County district attorney joins investigation of migrant shelter
Jun. 24—Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston said Thursday his office is joining the state and federal investigation of the Baptiste Group and its federally funded shelter in Highland Park for unaccompanied migrant children.
"I met yesterday with representatives of the Chattanooga Police Department and the Department of Health and Human Services," Pinkston said in a statement. "We will be working with CPD and will vigorously prosecute any state crimes that are uncovered by the investigation."
The District Attorney's Office did not offer further comment Thursday but said in its news release the office was taking part in "the investigation into allegations of illegal activities" at the facility.
One report of potential abuse has been made public related to the facility. On June 3, an inspector with the Tennessee Department of Children's Services conducted an unannounced site visit at the facility. The Department of Children's Services licensed the facility in May 2020 and renewed the license in February 2021.
During the June 3 visit, a child told an inspector he saw a staff member at the shelter kiss another child. The child has since left the shelter, according to the Department of Children's Services report of the inspection, and the director of the shelter told the state on June 5 the accused employee had been fired.
The allegation, first made public last week, prompted an investigation by state and federal authorities, including the Department of Children's Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Last week, the Chattanooga Police Department said a 16-year-old boy went missing from the facility on June 14.
According to the report of the June 3 inspection, the director of the facility was "advised that all of the youth had made positive comments about their treatment and general conditions within the program, that the files were well organized and complete and that the physical inspection had yielded no findings or need for corrective action."
Contact Wyatt Massey at wmassey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Follow him on Twitter @news4mass.
