Police arrested a fourth employee and say they’ve found another two victims of sexual abuse at the Rainbow House, a Jonesboro shelter for teens where leaders have been accused of covering up the crimes.
Police also said they are exploring several complaints that were made to state agencies about suspected abuse, but which were not followed-up. Sgt. Michelle Alston said those complaints were made before police received a tip on March 15, which led to the arrests. Alston said they will be working with state agencies now to see if there was a “breakdown in communication” that led to complaints being overlooked.
Earlier this week, Clayton County police made public the damning allegations about Rainbow House, a place that is supposed to be a safe haven for at-risk children. Caleb Randolph, 25, was arrested for engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with a child at the facility.
Randolph is the son of the facility’s executive director, Mia Chanel Kimber, 55. Kimber and Monica Jones, 53, the program director at Rainbow House, both failed to report Randolph’s alleged misconduct, and instead tried to cover up the incident, police say.
“We found that their behavior was criminal ... unprofessional, negligent and not in the best interest of the juveniles,” Alston said at a Friday press conference in Clayton County. “It was like watching a Netflix series unfold right before our eyes.”
In addition to Kimber and Jones, a third employee has been charged in the coverup. Felecia Campbell, 35, a manager at the Rainbow House, initially told police she didn’t have knowledge of reports about sexual misconduct. But the investigation found Campbell had files containing incident reports made by staff members and juveniles. The files were kept in Campbell’s office with her signature on them. She was arrested at Lovejoy High School on Thursday, charged with failing to report the alleged crime. Police officials said Campbell was also an employee of the Clayton County school system.
Kimber, Jones and Campbell are all required by law to report such crimes due to their positions with the facility.
Three victims — all juveniles sent to the home — have been identified. Because the investigation is still ongoing, police said it’s possible that more could be identified in the coming days. The children who were still at the shelter are being relocated to other safe locations, police said.
One father reached out to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saying he had previously complained about abuse at Rainbow House, but that apparently his complaints were never investigated. The father requested anonymity because his daughter is in custody of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and he is working to get her back. He said his daughter, who was placed at the Rainbow House, told him about the abuse taking place there. He said he made a series of complaints to state officials, law enforcement and the state’s child abuse hotline. The AJC reviewed copies of the complaints that were sent months prior to this week’s announcement about the arrests.
For example, one letter that was dated in December and sent to officials said: “The allegations are of sexual abuse with the clients of the Rainbow House by the owner’s son. These same allegations were investigated internally which was wrong; and then not reported to the right sources. I have now made a hotline (call) ... Yet I have not been contacted by any other law enforcement.”
“We are investigating any complaints that have been made toward Rainbow House since last year,” Alston said.
DFCS says the father’s accusations were not accurate.
“The allegations being made by this individual are not accurate. We’re not able to comment further on that, because we protect the privacy of children in our custody in the circumstances of which they enter our custody with the utmost confidentiality,” the agency said. “As new facts emerge and the investigation continues, we will keep working with law enforcement.”
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