Child abuse cases surge in Woodlands
When Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable Ryan Gable first dedicated a special unit of investigators to child abuse crimes in The Woodlands, he expected the caseload to be about nine to 11 cases a year. But in 2015, the investigator assigned to the task worked 56 cases.
“We didn’t realize the amount that we would be faced with,” Gable said.
On top of that, new legislation passed last year directs law enforcement to become more active in investigating Child Protective Services cases where criminal activity may be involved, Gable said.
In February, the first month CPS started turning cases over to law enforcement, Woodlands child abuse investigator Adam Acosta was assigned 17 cases in addition to his usual load.
Gable explained that the cases in Acosta’s purview include all abuse of children, from neglect and physical injury to indecency and sexual assault.
“These are the crimes that are the worst crimes out there,” Gable said. “These are our children we’re protecting. That concerns us with where we’re at today.”
Last year, of the 56 cases Acosta worked, he filed 19 felony and five misdemeanor charges, with many of the felony charges bearing 15- or 20-year to life sentences behind bars. One injury to a child case handed to Acosta by CPS has yielded five charges. Nearly a dozen other CPS cases also resulted in criminal charges.
Gable explained that, with the unexpected surge in casework, his department’s resources are being stretched thin.
In addition to child abuse cases, another special investigator is assigned to Internet crimes against children in The Woodlands, including online solicitation of sex from a minor and child pornography. That investigator, Jason Martinez, also has his hands full, working 77 cases and filing 64 felony charges in 2015.
With the overwhelming caseload, Gable said he has had to pull resources from patrolling the community to help with child crime investigations.
The Woodlands Township agreed during 2015 budget planning to fund investigators Acosta and Martinez so that they could dedicate their time to working the crimes against children cases within the township at a cost of about $316,000 annually.
Now, Gable says he anticipates that his office will have to ask for more financial help to add personnel in order to keep up with the number of cases.
Woodlands board member Gordy Bunch commended Gable, pointing out that, prior to Gable’s election, the majority of these crimes were not being investigated.
“We have somebody with a unique skill set that didn’t exist in the county as a whole. Nobody in this county was doing this work,” Bunch said.
Board member Mike Bass said that he believes the township should look at how it can support the constable’s efforts in protecting children of The Woodlands.
“What goes on in The Woodlands — we’re not as pure as everybody thinks that we are,” Bass said. “We can’t ignore these children … We may have to amend this budget.”
Chairman Ed Robb cautioned the board not to rush into amending the budget until board members and township staff had fully vetted the initiative.
Several board members, however, thought the issue deserves a quick response.
“If these crimes are occurring in numbers far greater than we thought, I don’t want to wait until the budget cycle,” said board member John McMullan.
Gable said that he would meet with his administration and investigators to determine exactly what help they need and would return to the board with a proposal.
In the meantime, he lauded investigators Acosta and Martinez for the work they’ve done so far in the community. “(These are) crimes that are just unbearable to look at — to deal with that every day,” Gable said. “Your two investigators have been doing you all such a great service.”
“These are the crimes that are the worst crimes out there. These are our children we’re protecting. That concerns us with where we’re at today.” Ryan Gable, Montgomery County Precinct 3 constable