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Former KidsTLC worker accused of sexually abusing children at the mental health center

Kansas City Star - 12/18/2017

Dec. 18--A former employee of a youth mental health center in Olathe has been charged with sexually abusing five children.

Charges filed against Dijon Willis stem from from alleged incidents in 2013 and 2014 when Willis worked at KidsTLC in Olathe.

Willis, 27, is charged in Johnson County District Court with five counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a child.

The facility provides treatment and therapy for young people with autism and behavioral health issues.

According to court documents, Willis was first the subject of an investigation in 2014 when a 14-year-old girl reported that he had touched her inappropriately.

But after an investigation that included review of surveillance video, officials could not substantiate the report.

Later in 2014, a 13-year-old resident of the facility reported that Willis had touched her on the buttocks and that he had handed her a note with the word "kiss" and pointed at his lips.

Willis denied the allegations and the incidents could not be seen on surveillance video, according to the court documents.

But the day after the girl made that report -- Dec. 2, 2014 -- is listed as the last day Willis worked at TLC, according to the documents.

In 2015, police interviewed another girl who said that when she was at TLC in 2013, Willis grabbed her buttocks while they hugged. After leaving the facility, she and Willis kept in touch on Facebook, according to the allegations made in court documents.

The girl told police that Willis sent her pictures of his penis and asked her to send nude pictures to him, but she declined.

Another former resident of the facility was interviewed by police in 2016 and described how Willis touched her inappropriately and forced her to kiss him when she was 13.

Police in 2016 also interviewed another former resident who said a staff member who resembled Willis had "felt her up" while she was there in 2014, according to the documents.

The charges against Willis were filed earlier this month. He was released from jail after posting a $50,000 bond.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.

Tony Rizzo: 816-234-4435, @trizzkc

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