Dec 31, 2017 1 min read

7 – Greene, Washington CYS under scrutiny

The Children and Youth Services departments in Washington and Greene counties were rocked when it was revealed earlier this year that a Greene County teen allegedly was sexually abused by his foster mother over several years.

Joelle Barozzini was charged with rape and other felonies in May after investigators said she abused the boy over several years while caring for him at her Greensburg home.

Making the situation more troublesome, a caseworker in Greene County raised concerns about Barozzini’s alleged behavior around the boy in February 2012, only to be reprimanded for “gossiping” by former Greene County CYS Director Dee Dee Blosnich-Gooden, who called it an “inappropriate comment.” The boy left Barozzini’s care the following year when he became an adult.

Blosnich-Gooden left her position in Greene County in March 2013 to work as deputy director at Washington County CYS. She submitted her resignation from that position the day after Barozzini was charged and it was revealed she had been notified of alleged misconduct by the foster mother. — Mike Jones