SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) engineer was placed on administrative duty after she was arrested and accused of leaving a child with autism surrounded by pet feces and urine. <\/p>\n
A source with the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) identified Jennifer Marie Torres as the engineer to KSAT Investigates. <\/p>\n
An SAFD spokesperson later confirmed Torres\u2019 arrest to KSAT on Tuesday night. The department has since placed Torres on administrative duty \u201cpursuant to standard protocol,\u201d the spokesperson said. <\/p>\n
According to court records, Torres, 45, is facing a child endangerment charge, which is considered a state jail felony. A Bexar County judge set her bond at $30,000. <\/p>\n
She was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Saturday afternoon. Jail records show Torres bonded out of custody at approximately 1:41 a.m. Sunday. <\/p>\n
KSAT Investigates<\/p>\n
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Welfare check spurs investigation<\/p>\n
According to the SAPD source, a City of San Antonio Code Enforcement employee called police and requested a welfare check on Friday, March 27 after witnessing a dead dog in the driveway of a home in the 4600 block of Spotted Oak Woods, which is located near Interstate 10 and Loop 1604. <\/p>\n
The employee, who the SAPD source said also saw a car in the driveway, approached the home under the impression that someone may be inside. The employee also noticed a gang of flies buzzing around the dog\u2019s body, a \u201cstrong odor\u201d emanating from the home and \u201cseveral\u201d Amazon packages stacked up on the home\u2019s doorstep, the source said. <\/p>\n
One SAPD officer, upon their arrival on scene, saw two SAFD firefighters emerge from the home. The firefighters, according to the police source, told the officer they saw a 12-year-old girl alone in the home who was not wearing clothes. <\/p>\n
The officer, who saw the child peek her head outside, asked her if she wanted to speak to investigators. The source said the child had a \u201cdisheveled appearance, stained dirty sweats and a strong odor of pet urine.\u201d <\/p>\n
SAPD\u2019s conversation with the 12-year-old<\/p>\n
The source told KSAT Investigates that the child appeared \u201cnervous\u201d and \u201cuncomfortable,\u201d but the responding officer assured her that she was \u201cnot in any trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
A police source told KSAT that the child \u201cappeared\u201d surprised that the dog had died. When the officer asked the girl if she was suffering from any disabilities, the child told police she has autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). <\/p>\n
The child told the officer she had not been in school for at least two days: Thursday (March 26) and Friday (March 27). <\/p>\n
The source said the child then called her mother\u2019s cellphone number (Torres), but she did not answer. <\/p>\n
Torres comes home<\/p>\n
After an undetermined amount of time, a black SUV arrived outside the home. A woman, believed to be Torres, got out of the vehicle wearing a \u201cfamiliar blue uniform,\u201d according to the source. Neighbors told police Torres is an SAFD employee. <\/p>\n
Torres appeared to be upset with the officer after learning of the dog\u2019s death. She told them that the dog was with her \u201cthe night before\u201d and was \u201cin good health,\u201d a police source told KSAT Investigates. <\/p>\n
The officer told Torres about their original welfare check call, which also prompted their \u201centry\u201d into the home on Spotted Oak Woods. According to the SAPD source, the officer also called Child Protective Services (CPS) after they found the 12-year-old child in the home. <\/p>\n
Torres, the source said, ran to her car, grabbed her phone and began video recording her interaction with the officer. In response, the officer asked Torres \u201cif she would just answer some questions,\u201d but she refused. <\/p>\n
The officer handcuffed Torres, read her Miranda Rights to her and placed her in the back of an SAPD patrol vehicle, a police source told KSAT. <\/p>\n
As SAPD detectives later arrived on scene, the source said Torres maintained her unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement\u2019s investigation. <\/p>\n
A search warrant was executed for detectives to enter the home. <\/p>\n
A look inside the home <\/p>\n
Another responding officer told the original officer about the 12-year-old\u2019s living conditions. <\/p>\n
The source described the child\u2019s room, which included a \u201cobstacle course\u201d made up of \u201cvarious forms of garbage\u201d on the floor. According to an SAPD source, \u201cclusters of … dog waste\u201d and \u201ccat droppings\u201d were scattered across one room and a mattress. <\/p>\n
When another officer asked the child how she sleeps in a room like that, the 12-year-old \u201cshrugged\u201d her shoulders and said she \u201cjust does,\u201d the source said. <\/p>\n
The officer described the home as being in \u201ccomplete disarray.\u201d Nearly every surface, from the floor to every counter surface, appeared to be covered in \u201ccat urine and pet hair,\u201d according to the police source. Feces were present in every room of the house. <\/p>\n
No parts of the kitchen, the SAPD source said, were functional. The refrigerator did not work. The kitchen\u2019s pantries were \u201cempty,\u201d and no \u201cedible food was in sight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police called CPS a second time. The agency told police it planned to send two case workers to interview the victim. <\/p>\n
After Torres\u2019 arrest<\/p>\n
An SAPD source told KSAT Investigates that custody of the 12-year-old and her brother have been temporarily transferred to one of Torres\u2019 neighbors. <\/p>\n
Torres is expected to make her next court appearance on June 4, records show. <\/p>\n