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Parent alleges sexual assault of 5-year-old at city Parks & Recreation program; calls for video review and better mandatory-reporting practice
Summary
A Ward 1 resident told the council her 5-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted while in a city Parks & Recreation program; she said staff failed to supervise, failed to report as mandatory reporters, and that police and city staff had delayed reviewing hours of video evidence.
At the meeting’s public-participation segment, a parent identified as Rebecca Porty spoke at length and accused Parks & Recreation staff of failing to protect her 5-year-old daughter during a June program session. Porty told the council she viewed security video with Parks & Recreation leadership and that the footage showed repeated sexual assaults by an older boy while staff were within a few feet and allegedly looking at phones instead of supervising. She said the city’s Parks & Recreation employees did not immediately report the incidents to police and that the Roswell Police Department took 49 days to interview the boy; Porty said the boy later confessed to additional acts. Porty said she had filed two public-record requests for video and that she believed city staff had not reviewed the full footage. “I caught him right handed... there was my 4-5 year old daughter being [assaulted] by a 12 year old boy, the size of a grown man, with a grown man’s hands,” Porty said. She urged the council to ensure other children in city programs were not at risk and said she was angry with Parks & Recreation and the police response. Council members did not take immediate action at the meeting. The mayor offered to have the clerk obtain Porty’s contact information so staff could follow up. City staff present (including Parks & Recreation leadership and police representatives) did not present a public response during Porty’s statement beyond confirming they would attempt to gather information and follow up. Ending — follow-up needed Porty asked the council to ensure that staff review all security footage, that mandatory-reporting rules were followed, and that additional children be checked for possible abuse. The council did not make any motions at the meeting; the public record shows Porty filed IPRA requests she said had been denied. City staff and the police department are the responsible parties to review the claims and any evidence and to report back to the victim and the council per statutory requirements.
