ST. LOUIS — A 60-year-old man is accused of raping of a teenage girl while he was working as an Annie Malone employee in April.
Darryl Hill of St. Louis was charged with second-degree statutory rape on Friday.
According to a probable cause statement from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the incident occurred in the early morning hours of April 18 at the Annie Malone Children and Family Services Center on 5355 Page Blvd. Hill had been assigned to monitor the girl's wing of the facility.
The 16-year-old victim later told another employee that Hill had assaulted her overnight.
Annie Malone Children and Family Services said in a statement dated Nov. 14 that as soon as it had been made aware of the allegations, Hill was placed on leave and not allowed to return to the center. They immediately contacted police and Hill was subsequently terminated, the center said.
Surveillance video seized by police showed Hill entering the girl's room around 3:47 a.m. on April 18 and leaving around 5:05 a.m. Investigators found his DNA on her clothing.
A warrant was issued for his arrest Friday and he was ordered to be held without bail. As of Monday, he was not in police custody.
Below is the full statement from Annie Malone:
"Annie Malone was recently made aware that charges have been filed against a former employee. Our thoughts and prayers are with the youth involved. We are devastated and still grieving this situation.
"Unfortunately, even with very thorough background checks and other measures, it is disheartening to know some determined individuals find a way to prey on youth. Once we were made aware of the allegations, the employee was placed on leave, not allowed to return to Annie Malone Children and Family Services, and we contacted law enforcement immediately. He was subsequently terminated. We cooperated fully with the investigation and continue to do so as this makes its way through the legal system. For these reasons we cannot comment further due to the sensitive nature of this situation.
"Annie Malone Children and Family Services has served our community for 133 years as a child welfare provider. Like others, our agency has been significantly impacted by the COVID pandemic. While we no longer serve youth through a residential treatment facility, we continue to offer services to young children needing a place to call home while their families are in crisis. We have also expanded our therapeutic school relocating it to what was formally the residential treatment center. In addition, we provide many community-based services including substance abuse outpatient treatment to youth 12-17 funded through a recent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) federal grant."
