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Santa Rosa mother lashes against youth center
Posted: 07.26.2010 at 11:12 PM
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A Santa Rosa mother claimed her daughter was attacked by three older boys inside the Santa Rosa Youth Center, but the center’s director said that was not the case.

Elizabeth told Action 4 New she will no longer be taking her 7-year-old daughter to the center, following the alleged incident on Thursday. But it was not until the next day when she found out what had allegedly happened.

"She stared crying, what happened? Some boys were pulling down her shorts in the back," Elizabeth explained.

Immediately after, she filed a police report about the alleged incident.

"This is not only to my daughter that this is happening, this happened to other kids,” she went on, “Other little girls who probably haven't told her parents yet."
           
Elizabeth blames the Santa Rosa Youth Center’s director for what she calls a lack of supervision.

As proof, she said, was cell phone video she showed Action 4 News, taken inside the center, and where a boy is allegedly kicking another boy without anyone stepping in.

"I wan’t answers,” she concluded. “Someone has to tell me something, what happened."

Action 4 News contacted Desiree Pena, the center’s director. Though she would not speak on camera, she agreed to talk to about the incident involving the little girl.

Pena said the mother's claims are not true. In fact, Pena went on to say that it was little girl who was pulling a boy's shorts down and laughing about it. That information also appeared on the police report.

She added that there is plenty of supervision. She has ten staff members, mostly teenagers, who work at the center.

Action 4 News also spoke to Santa Rosa's city administrator and the chief of police. Both refused to go on camera.

Police Chief Xavier Martinez said at this point, he had not found any criminal wrongdoing but that he still needs to interview several other staff members at the center.

Meanwhile, the city manager added that the city takes the complaints seriously, and changes will be made at the youth center, though he refused to go into detail about those changes.

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