Youth detention worker arrested for inappropriate relationship

CHEHALIS, Wash. - A Washington youth detention employee was arrested this week for having what the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) referred to as an "inappropriate relationship" with a former resident.

Investigators found that the worker had been passing contraband to the resident when they were previously in Green Hill.

According to DCYF, the employee was terminated last week.

"We want to thank our DCYF staff for their swift action and law enforcement for their ongoing efforts to protect the young people in our care," a spokesperson with DCYF wrote.

Local police and Child Protective Services were involved in the investigation. The arrest took place on the Green Hill campus, when the former employee was asked to return to the facility as part of the investigation.

Green Hill, a large DCYF facility for older teens and young adults, has been in the headlines for months due to a number of issues. In fact, a security guard was arrested earlier this year for allegedly facilitating an attack on a teen resident.

An investigation into Michelle Goodman began in early 2024, after an attorney with the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office learned about a teen that had been beaten up. Goodman was accused of allowing the attack to happen, and she was caught on camera laughing with the inmates that were involved shortly after the attack.

The latest arrest comes at a time of increasing stress at DCYF, and Green Hill.

As FOX 13 has previously reported, DCYF stopped allowing counties to send convicted criminals to its juvenile facilities in the midst of overcrowding issues.

Last week, DCYF was dealt more bad news. A judge approved a preliminary injunction stating that 43 inmates they attempted to move to clear space in Green Hill, would have to go back. The judge stated that it appeared the state violated a legal settlement agreement that required specific steps to take place before transferring an inmate to an adult facility.