3 Oppressive Texas CPS Agents Receive Felony Indictments

Criminal charges against CPS employees related to their actions in child protective services cases are rare. Indictments were handed down last Thursday to 1 of the 3 Child Protective Services (CPS) subordinates who were charged with Oppression, tampering with evidence, and falsifying and forging documents to conduct illegal searches and seizures, which are third degree felonies, punishable upon conviction by a maximum sentence of from two to 10 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000. 60 year-old Laura Marsh Ard, the former program director for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services office in Rockwall, received one indictment for tampering with physical evidence. Reynolds, of Fate, received three indictments for official oppression, and one indictment for tampering and fabricating physical evidence. All these charges stem from an alleged case where all three conspired to use false documents in an investigation of the mother of a murdered teenager Alicia Moore from Greenville. Thonginh and Reynolds conducted unlawful searches and seizures in association with CPS investigations. The tampering with physical evidence indictments say that all three defendants collaborated together back on November 6th, 2012. “to use a record and/or document to wit: the risk assessment involving Aretha Moore … with knowledge of its falsity and with intent to affect the course or outcome of the investigation.”