Former youth worker convicted of sex charge faces second child porn count

A former youth worker who served time for having a sexual relationship with a teen she met at London youth detention facility now faces two child pornography charges.

Grace Rodrigues, 31, of Woodstock was charged earlier this week with possession of child pornography by Woodstock police’s internet child exploitation unit and criminal investigations bureau.

Rodrigues is also charged with making child pornography, Woodstock police said Thursday.

Court records show Rodrigues was previously charged with three counts of sexual interference and three counts of sexual assault for allegations involving a 15-year-old boy six years ago. All charges but one count of sexual interference were withdrawn.

Rodrigues was sent to jail for 10 months in March 2020 after pleading guilty to the charge.

The court heard how Rodrigues, then 25, was a caseworker at an open-custody youth detention center in London, where she met the teen.

The teen texted her months later, leading her to take him to a Woodstock hotel for one night in April 2017.

Described by the judge as “street-wise and not naive,” the teen didn’t disclose the relationship until he was an inmate in a Kitchener detention facility. London police were called and the teen gave a statement.

Police later recovered the teen’s cellphone that still had texts between him and Rodrigues that pointed to a sexual relationship.

Rodrigues, who had no criminal record then, lost her job after the relationship was made public and later worked in the hospitality industry.

Woodstock police did not release details about the latest charges, but said the investigation is ongoing.

Rodrigues was released from custody.

The public is reminded to report suspicious internet activity relating to child exploitation to Woodstock police or online at www.cypbertip.ca. The website also offers safety tips for parents, children and internet users.