1. Radio
 / Modified aug 27, 2018 3:54 p.m.

Shelter Employee Standing Trial Tuesday for Alleged Sexual Abuse of Migrant Boys

Levian Pacheco is at least the third Southwest Key employee to be accused of sec crimes in Arizona since 2015. by Stina Sieg, KJZZ

Southwest Key Mesa The Southwest Key facility in Mesa.
Jackie Hai, KJZZ

A former employee at a shelter for young migrants in Mesa is set to stand trial Tuesday. The 25-year-old youth-care worker is accused of abusing teenage boys at the facility.

Levian Pacheco has pleaded not guilty to sex crimes that allegedly took place at a facility run by Southwest Key Programs, a government-contracted nonprofit.

Federal authorities say between August 2016 and July 2017, Pacheco performed sex acts on two boys and touched six others, all between the ages of 15 and 17.

Pacheco, who is HIV-positive, is at least the third Southwest Key employee to be accused of sex crimes in Arizona since 2015.

Police records show officers were called to the Mesa facility almost 150 times in about 26 months.

This story originally aired on KJZZ in Phoenix. Learn more about oversight of Southwest Key facilities in Arizona

Fronteras Desk
This story is from the Fronteras Desk, a collaboration of Southwestern public radio stations, including NPR 89.1. Read more from the Fronteras Desk.
MORE: Immigration, Kids, News, Public Safety
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona