10Investigates has uncovered that a foster parent accused of abusing a child in his care was accused of another incident three months after the first complaint.
In December, an 8-year-old boy reported that his foster parent Robert Metzner, 69, touched him inappropriately. That child was removed from the home.
The complaint was investigated but closed when Metzner denied the allegations and there was no corroborating evidence.
Another child was then placed in Metzner’s home in March. After another complaint surfaced, Eckerd Connects, the company responsible for child welfare in Pinellas County, removed that child after a few days.
Metzner's home was closed in April when the paperwork was complete.
He was arrested on Thursday after detectives found a USB drive belonging to him containing child pornography.
We are told that the complaint in March was investigated, but they also did not find any evidence. We are told, however, that the case is not yet closed.
Eckerd Connects gave us this statement:
We do everything we can to assure the appropriateness of our caregivers and the safety of the children. We are deeply saddened by this revelation and will be evaluating our practices to determine if more can be done.
What other people are reading right now:
- 10 charged in human trafficking bust out of Hernando County
- Amazon plans to open a cargo hub at Lakeland's airport, could bring 1,000 new jobs
- He was murdered and his wife shot. The killers were just convicted in his death.
- He was targeted for human trafficking through his mom. Now, he shares his story to help others.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis has tense exchange with school board member during first lady's visit
►Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
