Palmetto Youth Academy worker under investigation after report she kissed boy
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is investigating allegations that a staff member at the Palmetto Youth Academy was seen kissing a 17-year-old boy housed in the residential program.
On June 19, the DJJ’s Central Communications Center received a report alleging that a staff member was seen kissing the teenager but no details, including the name of the staff member, when and where the inappropriate contact happened or who witnessed the kiss, were included in the incident report. The report came from the Florida Department of Children and Families Child Abuse Hotline, but was “not accepted for investigation.”
The same day it received the report, the DJJ identified Lacora Shanks as the staff member implicated in the report. She has since been placed on no youth contact pending the outcome of the department’s investigation.
The DJJ said Shanks and the boy denied that anything improper had happened between them.
The Palmetto Youth Academy, located on the grounds of the Manatee County jail north of Palmetto, is a residential program under the DJJ for high-risk boys between the ages of 14 and 21 who have a primary diagnosis of substance abuse and/or co-occurring mental health disorder. The DJJ has a contract with TrueCore Behavioral Solutions to run the facility, and Shanks is one of company’s employees.
“The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s top priority is the safety and well-being of the youth in our care,” DJJ spokeswoman Amanda Slama said in an emailed statement to the Bradenton Herald. “The department takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and we will hold staff accountable if it is determined that improper conduct has occurred.”
This is not the first time there have been allegations of inappropriate contact between a staff member and a boy housed at the Palmetto Youth Academy.
“This alleged incident is still under investigation and currently remains unsubstantiated. Should these allegations become substantiated, the Department will take immediate action to hold this staff accountable,” Slama added.”
In February 2017, Leroy Bostic, a former youth care worker at the academy, pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a minor by a person in authority, lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor, introduction of harmful material to a minor and solicitation of a minor in a sexual performance. He was sentenced to 110 months in prison and currently has the expected release date of May 28, 2023, at which point he will be place on sex offender probation.
Bostic had a history of allegations made against him including for molestation before being hired as a contract worker at the Palmetto Youth Academy.
Shanks has a criminal history for theft related charges.
In 2011, she pleaded guilty to petit theft and in 2013 she pleaded guilty to trespassing with larceny, according to Hillsborough County court records. While both convictions were withheld from her official records, Shanks violated probation in each of the cases.
In 2014, Shanks was charged with a third-degree felony theft charge for failing to return a rental vehicle. Formal charges were filed but later dropped in 2016 after she completed a pre-trial intervention program.
This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 3:33 PM.