DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Volusia County deputies have arrested a former child specialist from Palm Coast employed at a residential treatment program who they say molested a teen client.
Corey Hodges, 34 was arrested on Tuesday and fired by Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare earlier this month after a 15-year-old girl who is a client at the Residential Adolescent Program, according to a VCSO release.
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Hodges started working at the Daytona Beach facility in February. Earlier this month, the girl disclosed that Hodges had molested her two times last month while she was in her room at the RAP program. Both times, she said that Hodges told her not to tell anyone about it.
The victim also said Hodges took her to the hospital when she broke her finger and on the way back, the victim said that Hodges rubbed her thigh and told her to pull up her shorts.
Deputies also spoke to another victim, a 17-year-old girl, who said that Hodges would ask her for hugs, made comments about other girls' bodies and talked about beating up a boy she was dating because he was jealous.
An 18-year-girl said Hodges told her that she should be a stripper because she had a nice body. And a 14-year-old girl revealed to investigators that while going through heroin withdrawal, Hodges ordered her to get out of her bed even though she told him that she was naked.
During questioning by investigators, Hodges denied the allegations but surveillance video from inside the facility showed Hodges going into one of the girls' rooms, in violation of staff policies. Hodges also should have had a female employee drive the victim to the hospital, according to the policy.
Investigators requested Hodges to submit to a voice stress analysis, but his lawyer told him not to take the test, according to the release. He was arrested Tuesday and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach, where he's being held on $60,000 bond.
He's being charged with lewd or lascivious molestation and lewd or lascivious conduct.
