How Could You? Hall of Shame-Sandra and Antonio Huerta UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From El Paso, Texas, “Sandra Huerta, a foster parent …, is charged by El Paso Police with aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child in two separate cases.

Huerta was arrested and booked into the county jail this Friday.

Her husband, Antonio Huerta, has not been arrested and is wanted in connection with the two cases.

Investigators believe there may be more victims who have yet to be identified and encourage anyone with additional information to contact police.

Paul Zimmerman, spokesman with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, sent ABC-7 the following statement regarding the Huertas.

“Sandra and Antonio Huerta have not been foster parents for many months, since September 2014, when foster children were removed from their home. No children have been placed in the foster home since that time.  Sandra and Antonio Huerta were a CPA (private child placing agency) licensed & monitored foster home under Children’s Hope Residential, initially verified in 2000 by DFPS (Department of Family and Protective Services)  before getting shut down.”

Zimmerman told ABC-7 the Huertas housed 36 foster children from 2000-Sept. 2014.

Information On First Case

According to the affidavit in which 55-year-old Huerta was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, the victim said he was placed in Huerta’s home as a foster child when he was 11 years old and the alleged offenses occurred between May 2000 and late January 2002, the entire time he was placed in their home.

The victim said that the co-defendant – not named in the affidavit but who also lived at the home – would take him into the room he shared with Huerta where Huerta would be completely naked.

The victim said he was made to watch Huerta and the co-defendant engage in foreplay.

He was allegedly made to have sex with Huerta while the co-defendant allegedly used a finger on the victim.

The affidavit also stated that Huerta performed oral sex on the victim.

The victim also was allegedly made to watch pornography while in their bedroom.

A witness who was present during some of the incidents corroborated the victim’s account of events, according to the affidavit.

Information On Second Case

In the other case, in which Huerta is charged with indecency with a child, a child was 7 years old when she was placed in Huerta’s home as a foster child.

The girl says in the affidavit that the co-defendant would take her into Huerta’s and the co-defendant’s bedroom and made to watch pornographic movies while lying in bed with them.

The victim said Huerta asked her to mimic what she was seeing in the movies and the girl was asked to masturbate.

The victim said in the affidavit that this happened several times and that it progressed to Huerta and the co-defendant  making her touch both of them.

It escalated to the co-defendant allegedly penetrating her and that Huerta would watch the co-defendant having sexual intercourse with her.

The victim said the incidents happened the entire time she was placed in the home from late January 2002 to early September 2002.

A witness who was present during some of the incidents corroborated the victim’s account of events, according to the affidavit.”

“Although the incidents allegedly happened more than 10 years ago, they were not reported to police until Sept. 2014.

ABC-7 went to the Huerta home … on Monday. No one answered the door. Neighbors, who asked to remain anonymous, were shocked at the allegations.

One neighbor said they saw police at the home late last week and someone loading items into a truck from the home on Saturday.

“They hardly ever come out of the house,” one neighbor told ABC-7. “For the past couple of years, they come and go, but we’ve never encountered them at all. (The police) came last week and they asked us if we’ve seen them. But like I said before, we don’t really talk to them.”

ABC-7 spoke with Lisa Saucedo from CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for children, about how cases like the Huerta’s can be prevented in the future.

“The more people we have looking out for children, especially children that have been abused, the better off they will be,” Saucedo said. “There’s several laws that are up in the Texas house and I think we should follow that legislation that concerns children. It’s tragic when a situation like this occurs. It’s tragic anytime there’s abuse and neglect.”

State Rep. Joe Moody told ABC-7 Monday he was “appalled” by the allegations. He’s filed a bill  designed to close loopholes that make it difficult to track separately reported abuse cases in Texas.

“Situations like this are why I filed House Bill 2652, which is set to be heard in the House Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues this Wednesday,” Moody said in an email. “Advocates around the state have told me about situations where reports of abuse are filed over and over, year after year, only to repeatedly come back inconclusive despite physical evidence of abuse. In other words, countless investigations end when authorities know something happened but not exactly how. Leaving vulnerable children in a home we know is dangerous is unacceptable, and our system should not reward a lack of cooperation by abusers.”

Moody wrote: “House Bill 2652 requires a foster home to develop a corrective action plan after any report of abuse or neglect, even if the report is inconclusive. And if an additional report of abuse or neglect comes within a year of that — again, even if it is inconclusive — authorities must conduct a new study on that foster home to make sure it is safe and meets state standards.  Those homes that do not will find themselves without a license. It is time to close the loopholes that put foster children in harm’s way and make good on our promise to protect Texas children who have no one else to speak for them.””

El Paso foster parent charged with sex abuse of 2 children in her care; husband wanted in cases[ ABC 7 4/28/15 by Darren Hunt and Leonard Martinez]

 REFORM Puzzle Piece

 

Update:“Detectives have secured warrants for the arrest of Antonio Huerta, 62, her husband. Both are accused of sexually abusing the two victims while they were in their care.

Police have not been able to locate Antonio Huerta.

Neighbors tell CBS4 that the community is quiet and said people mostly keep to themselves, “Sometimes we can go for several days and never see anybody or talk to anybody,” said one neighbor.

Another neighbor said she was shocked to hear about the incident.
“Children, we are their guardians, and we should be taking care of them and if the accusations are true and that’s really sad,” she said.

Anyone with information on Antonio Huerta’s whereabouts are asked to call police at 915-566-8477.

Sandra Huerta was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. She was booked into the county jail with bail totaling 175,000.”

Foster parents accused of sexually abusing children; foster father wanted by police[CBS 4  4/27/15 by Jesse Martinez and Lashay Wesley]

“Texas Department of Family and Protective Services officials do not expect to reopen investigations into any of the pervious complaints filed against a couple accused of sexually abusing two foster children, officials said.

Officials said that if new evidence is presented, they may open a new investigation.

“No, it’s my understanding we do not ‘re-open’ closed investigations,” Paul Zimmerman, spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said in an email. “We could receive a new report of alleged abuse/neglect (even if it happened at a prior time) and open a new investigation.”

Sixteen complaints of abuse and neglect were filed against Sandra and Antonio Huerta between 2005 to 2015 with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Fourteen of those complaints were ruled out by department officials after there was not enough evidence to support the allegations.

The most recent complaint was dismissed in January, officials said.

Sandra Huerta, 55, was arrested Friday at her home in the … in East El Paso on suspicion of indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child, officials said. Her husband, Antonio Huerta, 62, is still being sought by El Paso police.

The Huertas are accused of sexually assaulting two children who were under their care between 2000 and 2002, officials said. The children, who were 7 and 10 years old at the time of the alleged assaults, reported the allegations of abuse in September, more than 13 years after the incidents allegedly occurred.

According to arrest affidavits, one of the victims told investigators that he was forced to watch the couple engaged in foreplay and then have sex. He was also allegedly forced to have sex with Sandra Huerta and made to watch porn in the couple’s bedroom.

The other victim told investigators that she was forced to watch porn in the Huertas’ bedroom and told to “mimic” what she saw on the television, the affidavit states. She was also allegedly forced to have sex with Antonio Huerta while his wife watched.

The Huertas have been foster parents to 36 children since they were licensed in 2000, officials said.

Anyone with information on Antonio Huerta may call police at 832-4400 or Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 566-8477.”

DFPS not expecting to reopen investigations into previous complaints filed against El Paso foster parents accused of sexual abuse[ElPaso Times 4/29/15 by Aaron Martinez]

“A man sought by police for almost a week after being accused of sexually assaulting foster children turned himself in Thursday, officials said.

Antonio Huerta, 62, and his wife, Sandra Huerta, 55, are accused of sexually assaulting two children who were under their care between 2000 and 2002, officials said. The children, who were 7 and 10 years old at the time of the alleged assaults, reported the allegations of abuse in September, more than 13 years after the incidents allegedly occurred.

Antonio Huerta was arrested on suspicion of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. He was booked into El Paso County Jail on a bond totaling $175,000.”

Fugitive El Paso foster parent surrenders to police[ElPaso Times 4/30/15 by Aaron Martinez]

“Paul Zimmerman, spokesman with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, sent ABC-7 the following statement regarding the Huertas.

“Sandra and Antonio Huerta have not been foster parents for many months, since September 2014, when foster children were removed from their home. No children have been placed in the foster home since that time.  Sandra and Antonio Huerta were a CPA (private child placing agency) licensed & monitored foster home under Children’s Hope Residential, initially verified in 2000 by DFPS (Department of Family and Protective Services)  before getting shut down.””

Man wanted for alleged sex abuse of foster children in his care is in police custody[KVLA 4/30/15]

Update 2:”An El Paso couple arrested in April on suspicion of sexually abusing two foster children might have earned as much as $1.6 million from the state as foster parents over 14 years, documents show.

The actual amount is not exact because three child-placing agencies took a share of the money in administrative fees.

Sandra Huerta, 55, and Antonio Huerta, 62, had been foster parents to 36 children since they were licensed in 2000, officials said.

The Huertas were arrested after two former foster children in September reported to police that they were sexually abused by the couple 13 years ago, officials said.

One of the victims told police she was 7 years old at the time, while the other victim said he was 10 years old when the incidents happened, an arrest affidavit states.

The woman told police that Sandra Huerta would take her into a bedroom, force her to watch pornographic movies and then tell her to mimic what she was watching, the affidavit states. The victim claims she was forced to touch both the Huertas and have sex with Antonio Huerta while his wife watched, according to the affidavit.

The man told police he was forced to watch porn in the couple’s bedroom, watch the Huertas engage in foreplay and then have sex with Sandra Huerta, according to the affidavit.

Sandra Huerta was arrested April 24 on suspicion of indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child, officials said. She was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a $175,000 bond. She bailed out of jail the same day.

Antonio Huerta turned himself over to El Paso police April 30. He was arrested on suspicion of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. He was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a bond totaling $175,000. He bailed out of jail the same day.

Attempts to reach the Huertas were unsuccessful.

El Paso District Attorney’s Office officials said the cases against the Huertas are still being reviewed. If the cases are approved, they will be presented to a grand jury, which will decide if they will be indicted.

According to records released by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Huertas were paid, either directly from the department or through a private child-placing agency, about $1,684,000 during their 14 years as foster parents.

The money is given to foster parents to help cover child care related costs such as food, clothing, recreation, transportation and housing, officials said.

Between 2000 to 2002, Sandra Huerta was paid by the department about $79,187, according to the payment records.

Beginning in January 2002, the Huertas were moved under the management of several child placing agencies, officials said. The agencies are in charge of placing children in foster homes and managing the homes.

The state pays the agencies, which then pays the foster parents. Each agency takes a portion of the money as an administrative fee before giving the rest to the foster parents, officials said. The amount taken by each agency was not disclosed.

The Huertas were placed under the Bair Foundation of Texas between January 2002 to May 2003. During that time, the state paid $92,766 to the Bair Foundation to help pay for the cost of the children under the care of the Huertas, according to the payment records.

Officials from the Bair Foundation, which is headquartered in New Wilmington, Pa., said their office in El Paso is closed. They declined to comment on the amount of money paid to the Huertas while they were foster parents under the Bair Foundation.

Between May 2003 to July 2014, the Huertas’ foster home was under the El Paso Center for Children. The state paid $1,495,525 to the Huertas through the El Paso Center for Children, according to the payment records.

Officials from the center could not be reached for comment on how much of that money went to the Huertas.

The last few months of the Huertas’ time as foster parents were under the Children’s Hope Residential agency. The state gave Children’s Hope Residential $16,628 to cover the cost of children under the Huertas’ care.

James Aldrich, director and founder of Children’s Hope Residential, said the payments made to the Huertas were private information and could not be released.

“I am not able to release the payments made to any foster family,” Aldrich said. “I can tell you that we pass through DFPS funds to verified homes in the amount required by statute to the families and often times it is in excess of the minimum pass through rate.”

According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services’ website, the minimum daily amount paid to a foster family varies from about $23 to $92, depending on the needs of each child.”

Foster parents accused of sexual abuse may have earned $1.6 million from state [El Paso Times 6/19/15 by Aaron Martinez]

Update 3: “The foster parents arrested earlier this year on suspicion of sexually abusing two foster children 13 years ago pleaded not guilty Wednesday in district court.

Sandra Rodriguez Huerta, 55, and Antonio Huerta, 63, entered their pleas during an arraignment hearing before 205th District Court Judge Francisco X. Dominguez.

The couple were arrested in April after the El Paso Police Department began investigating allegations made by two former foster children in September 2014.

The two victims, who had been foster children in the custody of the Huertas, told police that they were sexually abused by the couple 13 years ago, officials said.

“They didn’t do what they are accused of doing and we are going to show that,” Francisco F. Macias, the Huertas’ lawyer, said in an interview. “I think that (the length of time before the victims brought forth the allegations) is a part of the weight of the evidence that I certainly am going to ask the jury to take into consideration.”

He added, “Especially, the oversight you have for these people that are in foster care — psychologist, psychiatrist, probation officers, case workers — it is just shocking that these kids didn’t say anything during the time it was happening.”

Sandra Huerta is charged with seven counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and four counts of indecency with a child-sexual contact. Antonio Huerta faces eight counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and four counts of indecency with a child-sexual contact.

Both Huertas face between five to 99 years in prison on each of the aggravated sexual assault of a child charges and two to 10 years on each count of indecency with a child-sexual contact, officials said. They could also be fined as much as $10,000 on each count.

They are both expected to go on trial in February. They remain out of jail on bond.

“They (Huertas) are fine,” Macias said. “We have been expecting this for a long, long time and we have been working on making a list of different witnesses that we have. There are attorneys that do a lot of these child care type of law that have told me that the Huertas were well known for taking the worse children into their home and working with these kids. They are just shocked they would bring these allegations.”

Macias added that the Huertas will not take a plea agreement if offered one by the state.

“No, there is no chance of a plea agreement,” he said.

One of the alleged victims said that when she was 7 years old, Sandra Huerta would take her into a bedroom, force her to watch pornographic movies and then tell her to mimic what she was watching.

She also reported that she was forced to touch both the Huertas and have sex with Antonio Huerta while Sandra Huerta watched, according to court documents.

The other alleged victim, who was 10 years old at the time of the alleged sexual assaults, reported to police that he was forced to watch porn in the couple’s bedroom, watch the Huertas engage in foreplay and then have sex with Sandra Huerta, according to court documents.

The Huertas were foster parents to 36 children between 2000 and 2014, officials said.

According to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services records obtained by the El Paso Times, the couple earned about $1,684,000 during their 14 years as foster parents.

The money they earned came either directly from the department or through a private child-placing agency, officials said.”

Foster parents plead not guilty to sexual abuse[ElPaso Times 10/14/15 by Aaron Martinez]