Candidate for Legislature named in lawsuit by parents of sexually abused boy
A southern New Mexico legislative candidate who runs a Boys & Girls Club is being sued for negligence after a former employee was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing two boys.
The parents of one boy are suing Republican candidate for District 38 Rebecca Dow, claiming she ignored “obvious red flags” that could have prevented Alejandro Hernandez from hurting two 13-year-old boys during his employment at the Boys & Girls Club of Sierra County in Truth or Consequences.
Dow told the {Albuquerque} Journal: “In our facilities we go to great lengths to ensure the safety of our students, including background checks. I can’t comment on the things they have alleged against me, but I trust the legal system will work.”
An amended complaint filed in the 7th Judicial District last week names Dow, Amelia Wilcox, AppleTree Educational Center and the Boys & Girls Club of Sierra County. Dow serves as executive director, and Wilcox serves as assistant director at AppleTree, a faith-based, nonprofit daycare and preschool that provides “comprehensive family support services,” according to its website.
Read more: https://www.abqjournal.com/854804/legislative-candidate-named-in-lawsuit-by-parents-of-sexually-abused-boy.html