REPORTING LIVE AT TAMPA
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, I'M CHIP
OSOWSKI, NEWS CHANNEL 8.
STEVE ANDREWS IS GIVING A
VOICE TO THE VOICELESS AND
TAKING THE POWERFUL TO TASK.
NOW 8 ON YOUR SIDE
INVESTIGATES.
HER JOB, INVESTIGATE WHETHER
CHILDREN WERE ABUSED.
HER EMPLOYER, THE PASCO COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE, PUT HER IN
CUFFS FOR FALSIFYING AN
INVESTIGATION.
PASCO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
INVESTIGATORS LOOK INTO ABOUT
6,500 CASES OF POSSIBLE CHILD
ABUSE EVERY YEAR.
NOW THEY'RE ZEROING IN ON 95
CASES HANDLED BY ONE OF THEIR
OWN, CPI KAYLYNN SCOTT.
WHY?
BECAUSE AS 8 ON YOUR SIDE
SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
STEVE ANDREWS TELLS US, SHE
ADMITTED SHE FALSIFIED REPORTS
ABOUT AN ABUSE CASE.
YEAH.
THAT BRINGS INTO QUESTION EVERY
CASE THAT SHE INVESTIGATED AND
EVERY DOCUMENT SHE SUBMITTED
SINCE SHE STARTED WORKING AT
PASCO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
24-YEAR-OLD KAYLYNN SCOTT MAY
NOT REALIZE IT, BUT WHEN SHE
FALSIFIED REPORTS IN A CHILD
ABUSE, SCOTT CREATED A DARK
SHADOW THAT WILL LOOM OVER THE
CHILD PROTECTIVE SYSTEM.
IF I WERE A JUDGE, I'D HAVE
TO SIT BACK AND WONDER CAN I
TRUST THE INFORMATION I'M
GIVEN?
Reporter: MICHELLE D'ANGELO
HAS REPRESENTED BOTH SIDES IN
CHILD DEPENDENCY CASES.
SCOTT SHE CLAIMS BETRAYED A
TRUST.
I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY ONE
OF THE MOST EGREGIOUS ABUSES
YOU COULD HAVE.
Reporter: PASCO COUNTY
SHERIFF MAJOR JEFF PEAK.
THIS CAME TO LIGHT WHEN ONE
OF OUR CPIs WENT OUT AND
INVESTIGATED A CPI
INVESTIGATION INVOLVING THE
SAME FAMILY THAT SHE HAD.
Reporter: THE LATER
INVESTIGATION SPARKED WHEN A
NEWBORN BABY TESTED POSITIVE
FOR AN OPIATE-RELATED DRUG.
THE CHILD WAS BORN WITH THIS
AND YOU WERE PREGNANT WHEN THIS
OTHER INVESTIGATION WAS GOING
ON, HOW COME THIS DIDN'T COME
UP THEN WHEN YOU WERE DRUG
TESTED?
Reporter: DETECTIVES
INVESTIGATED, CONFRONTED SCOTT.
SHE FESSED UP.
THEY ARRESTED HER.
ACCORDING TO MAJOR PEAK, THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS LOOKING
THROUGH ALL 95 CASES SCOTT
HANDLED IN A LITTLE LESS THAN A
YEAR SHE WORKED AS A CPI.
WE'RE GOING THROUGH EACH
CASE SYSTEMATICALLY LOOKING AT
ANYTHING THAT WOULD IDENTIFY A
PATTERN.
Reporter: MICHELLE D'ANGELO
BELIEVES WHEN A CPI LIES, IT
PUTS CHILDREN IN JEOPARDY.
WE'RE NOT PROTECTING KIDS
ANYMORE.
WE'RE LEAVING KIDS POTENTIALLY
AT RISK BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL
IN THIS HOME BECAUSE SHE'S LIED
AND SAID SHE VISITED,
EVERYTHING WAS FINE.
NOW ACCORDING TO THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE, INVESTIGATORS
FOUND THREE MORE CASES IN WHICH
SCOTT CLAIMS SHE INTERVIEWED
PEOPLE THAT SHE DIDN'T TALK TO.
DETECTIVES FORWARDED THOSE
CASES TO THE PASCO COUNTY STATE
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
PROSECUTORS WILL DECIDE WHETHER
OR NOT SHE FACES MORE CHARGES.
SHE'S ALREADY LOOKING AT ONE
THIRD DEGREE FELONY.
WHAT'S INTERESTING WHEN
PEOPLE CHEAT A SYSTEM, THEY'RE
DOING IT FOR A REASON.
SHE FESSED UP TO THIS.
WHY WOULD SHE DO IT IN THE
FIRST PLACE?
THAT'S A QUESTION I ASKED.
ACCORDING TO MAJOR PEAK, SHE
GAVE NO REAL REASON.
THIS CASE GAVE THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE PAUSE.
IT PLANS TO BROADEN ITS QUALITY
ASSURANCE.
MAJOR PEAK TOLD US SUPERVISORS
WILL NOW CALL FAMILY MEMBERS
INVOLVED IN CHILD ABUSE
INVESTIGATIONS TO MAKE SURE
THAT CPIs INTERVIEWED WHO THEY
SAID THEY DID.
THERE ARE 48 OTHER CPIs AT THE
PASCO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
TONIGHT WHO ARE DISAPPOINTED
AND UPSET BECAUSE THEY KNOW
THIS PUTS THEM IN A BAD LIGHT,
TOO.
RIGHT.
NOW THEY'LL HAVE TO CIRCLE
BACK.
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM YOU'D
LIKE STEVE TO INVESTIGATE, CALL
