Third juvenile detention employee arrested on sexual misconduct charges this year

CHEHALIS, Wash. - A former guard at a youth detention facility in Lewis County is facing multiple charges for custodial sexual misconduct, tied to sexual relations that investigators say she had with a 23-year-old inmate when she worked at Green Hill .

Michelle Goodman, 31, first made headlines in March when she was arrested and accused of helping facilitate an attack on a teen inmate.

Goodman was employed by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to work as a guard at Green Hill, the state's juvenile rehabilitation facility for the state's oldest inmates that are not in the Department of Corrections.

According to investigators with the Chehalis Police Department, Goodman was having sexual relations with a 23-year-old male inmate while employed at Green Hill.

During a first appearance for the new charges, Goodman was given a $100,000 bond.

She is the fifth person from Green Hill arrested in 2024, the third that's facing sexual misconduct charges.

In August, FOX 13 reported how another DCYF employee was accused of performing oral sex on an inmate on multiple occasions.

Angel Misner, 32, was arrested earlier this year after phone recordings were obtained revealing her plans to marry a former inmate, descriptions of previous instances of oral sex, and details of how illegal contraband was transferred into the juvenile rehabilitation facility.

Misner even noted the attention on Green Hill in one of the phone calls. According to court documents, Misner stated there would be "Hella news reporters" in court. Telling the inmate she was accused of having sexual relations: "Between the two of us, I wonder who is going to have more publicity?"

The high number of sexual misconduct cases come at a time of change at DCYF.

This week, DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter a nnounced that he would no longer seek reappointment from the incoming governor following the upcoming election. Last week, the superintendent of Green Hill during the past year stepped down and took a new job within the Department of Corrections.

While calls for change had been growing for months, including calls for Governor Inslee to fire Secretary Hunter, DCYF celebrated the announcement of the new moves praising both Hunter and Aldana for changes they implemented during their tenures.

While DCYF oversees a variety of child-care programs within the state, juvenile rehabilitation became an issue when an overcrowding crisis spilled into the public when the agency blocked counties from sending convicted teens to their facilities.

In court, lawyers for DCYF argued that Green Hill had become a powder keg and that an influx of residents had led to an increase in violent fights, riots and attacks on employees. Documents obtained by FOX 13 show that the population had surpassed a safe level determined by DCYF more than a year before it ever admitted publicly that it was an issue.

As for the sexual misconduct cases, Chehalis Police said that they've seen a growing trend in criminal cases at Green Hill.

A news release states that, "The Chehalis Police Department will continue to aggressively investigate those who are involved in criminal activity at Green Hill School."

Anyone with information about issues continuing at Green Hill is being urged to contact police at 360-748-8605.

WA state agency under fire over juvenile justice crisis

Full Interview: Head of WA DCYF sits down with FOX 13 Seattle

WA union leaders call on Gov. Inslee to fire embattled DCYF leader

DCYF lifts intake freeze at Green Hill School, resumes accepting inmates

WA youth detention worker caught on recording talking about oral sex with inmate

WA juvenile detention crisis forces inmates into adult prisons: 'I feel betrayed'