Terrifying
Missouri Juvenile Officer Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking
Welcome!
I hate to start my Substack newsletter with something so horrible …
Today’s headline:
Longtime Missouri Juvenile Officer Admits Paying for Sex With 15-Year-Old
Scott Burrow of Hannibal, Missouri found a 15-year-old Illinois foster child in 2020 via a dating app. He picked her up at a park near the group home where she was living. Today, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in prohibited sexual conduct. I’ll let you read the press release about the indictment and the plea.
So what’s the big deal here?
To start with, this crime was against a foster child, a ward of the state, and was done by a state actor. That, in itself, is bad enough.
Add to this the trafficking element. The definition of trafficking is broader than this, but does include paying for sex with a person who cannot consent (i.e. a minor).
But he’s a Juvenile Officer
So this needs some explanation, since Missouri has a unique system. I’ll walk you through the process of how a child typically gets into the foster care system.
Abuse or neglect is alleged and reported.
The Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline takes the call. (CAN Hotline is run through Children’s Division, through the Department of Social Services.)
Children’s Division investigates, along with the police.
Someone makes a determination that the child should be removed from the home.
In an emergency situation, police can remove for a limited amount of time until the court makes a ruling.
The case is referred to the juvenile officer to file a petition.
The juvenile office files a petition to remove the child from the home. (The Juvenile Office is part of the Courts.)
The judge determines that the child should be placed in the custody of Children’s Division.
Before Children’s Division can dismiss a petition and return a child to their home, the juvenile officer “shall assess the impact of such dismissal on the best interests of the child, and shall take all actions practicable to minimize any negative impact.” (i.e. the Juvenile Officer can object to the Children’s Division saying “we think the child should go back to their parents.”)
But he’s a Juvenile Officer!
Think about this for a second: the Juvenile Officer files the petition to remove a child from their parents’ custody. The Juvenile Officer makes recommendations (that are usually listened to) whether the state should retain custody of the child.
The Juvenile Officer has more influence over the custody of the child than Children’s Division.
So when a Juvenile Officer has targeted a foster child to be a victim of crime …
At any rate, welcome to the terrifying state of Missouri, and to my newsletter! Happy Halloween!
