Warrant: Cedar Hill CPS Agent Paid Teen For Sex
CEDAR HILL (CBSDFW.COM) – With a neighbor jailed facing charges of sexually assaulting a child, Cedar Hill parents say they not just curious, they're deeply concerned. "I want to know what's going on," said Kandi Carter, a mother of three girls.
Carter's home is just down the street from Nicholas Santos. The 34-year-old investigator for Child Protective Services was arrested for sexual assault of a child. "What happened? What was he charged for?" Carter asked.
Police took Santos into custody at his home and confiscated several computers. A department spokesperson declined to release details of the evidence that led to the arrest.
"The kids catch the bus there; elementary kids who are there in the dark that are catching that bus," says Rita Stewart. "I think we all should know what's going on," she added.
Santos declined a request for an interview and calls to his attorney were not returned.
CBS 11 obtained the arrest warrant affidavit and according to the warrant, Santos paid his victim for sex.
The affidavit states Santos met the girl through a website that contains classified ads. Sources tell CBS 11 that the girl is a teenager, which is of little comfort to the parents who live near Santos. "It doesn't matter to me, " says Stewart. "You have adult here [raising her hand to indicate height], and then you have a kid. There's no difference."
According to the warrant, the girl was being held for prostution in Tarrant County when police began their investigation.
In the affidavit, the teenager told police that Santos worked for Child Protective Services and that she and another female juvenile had sex with Santos for money. The girl added that she began an online relationship with the 34-year-old in August of last year and that Santos paid her for sex through mid-January of this year.
After the teen was arrested, police searched her cell phone and found text messages allegedly sent from Santos's phone.
Read the full, redacted affidavit here, which indicates that officers had the victim's cooperation during the arrest.
The CPS agent has been charged with sexual assault of a child, which is a second-degree felony. Santos has been a CPS investigator since 2006, but has since been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
A CPS spokeswoman said Wednesday that the agency does not have to wait for the case to come to trial to take action. In a statement released by CPS' Marissa Gonzalez, "If we determine that the criminal charges are true, he will be fired immediately. There is no place in Child Protective Services for employees who betray the public's trust."
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