DCFS stops sending children to Chicago center after abuse allegations

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said it stopped sending children in its care to a Chicago center earlier this year after two employees at the center were accused of abuse.

The accused men worked at Aunt Martha's, a temporary care center with a facility for foster children on South Michigan Avenue. CBS 2 has learned that one of the workers has been accused of sexual abuse and another is on the run.

Antonio Hopkins, 33, who worked at Aunt Martha's through a third-party security company, was accused of groping a victim's breast “multiple times,” according to court records. He was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

The victim, a 14-year-old girl, was awaiting permanent placement but stayed with Aunt Martha for nearly a year, much to the dismay of the judge who handled her case.

She was the same girl that CBS 2 investigators talked about three years ago. At only 10 years old, she was the victim of abuse and multiple sexual assaultsincluding when she was found inside the Grand Motel on Chicago's South Side before DCFS ultimately took her into protective custody.

CBS 2 has learned that judges who must approve placements have been left blindsided by the most recent allegations. CBS 2 reviewed emails in which judges wondered, “Did anyone else know about this situation?”

DCFS responded by telling judges that they would stop sending youth in their care to Aunt Martha's house, move those already there, and place a DCFS monitor on site 24/7. 7.

Sources told CBS 2 that two weeks after the exchange, three arrest warrants were issued for another Aunt Martha employee. Police were still searching for the man accused of criminal sexual assault of another child at the facility.

The man who was arrested but not convicted had previously been charged with domestic violence and child endangerment, although those charges were later dropped. Aunt Martha no longer used the security company he worked for.

The man on the run, who CBS 2 is not identifying, served four years in prison for a violent crime.

CBS 2 has reached out to DCFS and Aunt Martha for comment. They said youths were still at the Chicago facility, but they could not comment further.

In emails between the judges and DCFS, praise was given to the new director, Heidi Mueller, and the speed with which she acted in response to the allegations.