More employees at WA DCYF youth jail investigated for relationships with inmates
CHEHALIS, Wash. - Two weeks after Governor Inslee proposed a new juvenile rehabilitation center to deal with an overcrowding crisis at a DCYF facility in Chehalis, police have announced that two more employees are being investigated.
According to Chehalis Police, two separate incidents were referred to their office, tied to employees who they believed to be having relationships with young inmates.
Investigators also noted they’re dealing with four separate resident overdoses that occurred in less than a week beginning on Dec. 5, 2024.
Green Hill, the facility in Chehalis, has become a lighting rod for the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) in recent months. Fights, overdoses and employee misconduct have routinely made headlines throughout the year.
Experts have pointed to an overcrowding problem at Green Hill as a prime reason for growing issues. Green Hill houses the state’s oldest inmates who are not in the Department of Corrections, including a number of inmates up to 25 years old.
Employees, legislators and a working group created by Governor Inslee all called on Inslee to fire DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter earlier this year — a move Inslee quickly refused. In October, Hunter announced he would not lead the office when the next administration came in, but would stay on for any necessary transition period.
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DCYF is facing an undeniable truth: the state agency tasked with running Washington’s juvenile detention facilities has unwittingly engineered its own downfall.
The latest inmates to be investigated are Charity Johnson, 37, and Alexa Rain, 26.
Chehalis Police booked Johnson into Lewis County Jail on Wednesday for official misconduct, making a false statement to a public servant and criminal conspiracy.
According to investigators, Johnson sent sexually suggestive photographs of herself to an inmate. She’s also accused of having lengthy phone conversations with them.
Johnson is believed to have been paid money in exchange for bringing illegal contraband into Green Hill.
A spokesperson for DCYF told FOX 13, that the charges are a sign that resources they've added for investigations and intelligence within the walls of Green Hill are paying off.
"We are regularly working in partnership with law enforcement organizations, including the Chehalis Police Department, to thoroughly investigate and address any potential misconduct." a spokesperson said.
Alexa Rain has yet to be contacted by investigators, despite multiple attempts. Investigators were able to review cell phone records and social media accounts to determine that she sent photographs that were sexual in nature and had text exchanges with an inmate on a cell phone he should not have had access to.
Police intend to charge Rain with official misconduct.
Five other employees that work at Green Hill have previously been arrested by Chehalis Police Department this year. Three of those people were arrested on sexual misconduct charges related to inmates.
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