TYC Scandal: A Bunch Of News

It’s been a news-filled 24 hours in the Texas Youth Commission scandal.

First off, the Texas Senate voted without dissent to approve legislation to fire the Texas Youth Commission.

And, evidently Texas Governor Rick Perry, though in Dubai, has evidently decided it might be a good idea to listen to the will of the Legislature. His office announced today that it expects the members of the Texas Youth commission to resign after they approve a rehabilitation plan this Friday.

In addition, another former TYC employee has been arrested, but this time for an assault at an adult prison:

A former Texas Youth Commission employee was arrested Wednesday on allegations he sexually assaulted an inmate at an adult prison where he worked before being hired by the TYC last year.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which runs adult prisons, opened the investigation into then-Lt. Barry Ransberger in 2005 amid reports that he had sexually assaulted an inmate at the Middleton Unit near Abilene. He quit during the investigation and was somehow hired by the TYC’s Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex in Brownwood in June 2006, TYC spokesman Jim Hurley said.

And, the math tutor who was the whistleblower who broke the scandal wide open has come under the microscope for an arrest:

The volunteer West Texas math tutor who first blew the whistle on the sex-assault scandal in the Texas Youth Commission has a criminal record of his own, he confirmed this morning.

Marc Slattery, whose firing as a volunteer after the scandal broke two weeks ago had angered legislative leaders, acknowledged that he was accused in 1986 of attempted sexual assault involving a 17-year-old.

Four months later, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge and received a year’s probation.

But Slattery, now 47, said he disclosed his past arrest to Youth Commission officials when he applied to be a volunteer at the West Texas State School.

“I told TYC on my application. They knew about it,” he said. “But now they’re making it a big deal. I stood up to protect these children. This is just part of a smear campaign.”

A Youth Commission official alerted a reporter to the conviction early today, after Slattery had made news for having his volunteer status terminated about a week ago in what legislative leaders said looked like retribution.

Tweet This Post   Ping This Post

Bookmark It