A Child Protective Services caseworker had a felony case in Ector County dismissed this week after a judge determined a team of caseworkers and supervisors were behind a decision to place children in a 700-square-foot home where there were seven children living.
Alexa Roman Guillen was charged with abandoning a child, a second-degree felony, on Feb. 26, 2016, according to court records. Jail records show Guillen was arrested by Odessa Police Department and booked in to Ector County jail July 6 and posted a $7,500 bond the same day.
Judge James Rush stated in the dismissal Guillen’s decision to place children with relatives in a home with a total of seven children in a 700-square-foot home was not made solely by Guillen, but also by a team of CPS caseworkers and supervisors. The plan was subsequently approved by the CPS court, the order of dismissal stated.
“During the time the children were in this home, the home was without water for only a day; the situation arising regarding inadequate food and the sewage problem occurred between the visits for this CPS worker,” the order stated.
The family member taking care of the children also did not report those problems to CPS so the caseworker could intervene earlier, the judge wrote in the dismissal.
Guillen was represented by defense attorney Jeff Parras.
