Former CT DCF worker arrested for alleged ‘inappropriate relationship’ with teen under agency supervision

A former Connecticut Department of Children and Families worker was arrested Tuesday and accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old girl who was under the supervision of the agency, state police said.

Eliezer Rijos, 40, of Watertown, turned himself in on charges of risk of injury to a minor and tampering with physical evidence, according to Connecticut State Police.

State police last month received a report from police in Wolcott that Rijos may have had an inappropriate relationship with a teenager under DCF supervision between July and September 2022, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

The teenage victim told authorities she met Rijos when he supervised visits between her and her mother at the DCF office in Waterbury, the affidavit said. She said Rijos began sending her text messages after she hung up on her mother during a virtual visit, and that the conversations led to him asking her if she had a boyfriend and telling her “If you were my age, I would date you,” according to the affidavit.

The teenager also told investigators she sent photos to Rijos and that he had responded to them with nude photos and videos of himself performing a sex act, the affidavit said. According to the affidavit, Rijos also asked the girl to wear “more tight-fitting clothing” when she visited the DCF office.

State police investigators were able to examine the 15-year-old’s cell phone, reportedly finding a number of text messages between her and Rijos, who used his state-issued phone as well as a personal phone, the affidavit said. During the conversations, Rijos at one point alludes to wanting to pick the girl up from her home, but she declines his invitation, the affidavit said. He also asked the teen if she would date him if he were younger, and the girl replied back “Strong maybe” before adding that in addition to “the age thing” she had an issue with Rijos having children, according to the affidavit.

During another text message conversation in August 2022, Rijos reportedly asked the teen not to “dress sexy” during an upcoming office visit because it would make him want to “bring you back home,” the affidavit said. He also told her “Don’t worry I won’t bite hard” and said “If u was about it, we would of had some quick fun,” the affidavit said.

In another text message conversation, Rijos reportedly expressed his desire to grab the girl, and when she asked how he would do that with other people around in the DCF office, he said he would need to find a way to drive her to or from her office visit unless they were to “meet out during the day or something,” according to the affidavit.

State police investigators interviewed Rijos last week about the allegations, at which time he reportedly admitted to exchanging text messages with the 15-year-old but said he could not remember what their conversations were about, the affidavit said. Rijos reportedly said he used his work and personal phone to text the girl and had since deleted all of the messages because he knew “it was wrong,” according to the affidavit.

Rijos also reportedly said that he received “explicit” photos from the teen, saying they were unsolicited and insisting that they were not nude photos, the affidavit said. He denied sending any photos or videos of himself and said he was “just in it for the texting” and that he would never “push that boundary” by doing anything physical, state police wrote in the affidavit.

DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes said Rijos was relieved of his duties immediately upon learning of the allegations and is no longer an employee of the department.

“We ensured the youth in question was safe and had access to supportive services,” she said in a statement on Wednesday. “The department promptly initiated an investigation, including interviewing other youth and families this former case aide has come into contact with during his employment.”

Dorantes said DCF contacted law enforcement as soon as the agency was aware of the alleged inappropriate relationship.

“Our administration is built upon the public trust and will not tolerate any conduct resulting in a violation of that trust,” she said.

Rijos was being held on a $150,000 bond and was expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Waterbury Superior Court.

“I find this alleged behavior by this former employee to be egregious and reprehensible and should be addressed to the fullest extent of the law,” Dorantes said. “No child or youth should be subjected to or victimized by this type of behavior.”