Board taps ex-Dallas County Juvenile Department director as interim amid investigations
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The deputy director overseeing Dallas County’s juvenile detention center resigned Friday, marking the second leadership departure amid allegations of poor conditions and pending state investigations.
DeAndra Jones oversaw the Dr. Jerome McNeil Jr. Detention Center at the direction of Darryl Beatty, the former juvenile department director who resigned last month following an unannounced state inspection into allegations of “supervisory neglect” by the Office of the Inspector General at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
Jones’ rationale for resigning is not clear. He declined to comment on his departure when reached by phone Monday afternoon.
The nine-member board overseeing Dallas County’s juvenile justice system met Monday to, in part, receive their first report about changes in the detention center from Interim Director Michael Griffiths, who they appointed as interim director last week.
The meeting comes a month after Beatty’s resignation. His tenure has been marred by allegations — which he denied in a news conference more than two weeks before he stepped down effective immediately — of poor, unsanitary and inhumane conditions at the detention center.
At the news conference, Jones, who had overseen the detention facility since October, said the facility’s detainees adhered to “highly structured” schedules with educational and recreational opportunities. Beatty and Jones said there was a 20% vacancy rate among juvenile supervision officers at the facilities, leading to changes in supervision practices.
“What we do here is an extremely important job, and my dedication to ensuring we are in compliance with the law is unwavering,” Jones said at the July 3 news conference.
Griffiths told the board that he named a replacement for Jones to serve in an interim capacity: Barbara Roberts, who served as a deputy director over institutions for the department from 2007 to 2010.
Roberts served under Griffiths in his final few years as juvenile department director. Griffiths has overseen juvenile services in counties across Texas and at the state level since 1983, the longest stint being from 1995 to 2010 as Dallas County’s director over the juvenile department.
Last week, in an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Griffiths said he quickly took steps to begin addressing issues in the department, which he characterized as a “systemic issue” solely within the detention center.
The facility, as a result, has fallen short of state standards for cleanliness and the seclusion of juveniles, he added.
Griffiths announced the appointment of Roberts, whose first day is Aug. 26, among a few other changes made in his first seven days on the job. As he gave his report, board members asked him about a path forward for a third-party review of the center and the county’s juvenile justice system — an idea supported by Dallas County Commissioner Andy Sommerman and Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins, who both sit on the board.
Sommerman and Lewis Jenkins said they support a “top-to-bottom” review of the system by a third party. The duo contend such a review should be broad and all-encompassing, ensuring, they told The News, that issues with the department do not resurface in later years.
Other board members, including board chair Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon, pointed to the ongoing investigations by the Office of the Inspector General as a means to address the issues. Shannon said the board should lean on Griffiths’ expertise and allow him to assess the department before deciding whether to commission such a review.
Griffiths said he would draft a “scope of work” — a draft proposal of what a third-party agency would evaluate — for such a review. He plans to present that draft during the board’s next regular meeting in October.
A handful of people spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, including Rev. Michael W. Waters. Three days before the July 3 news conference hosted by Beatty and Jones, Waters called on the county to address issues in the detention center.
Waters, the founder of Abundant Life AME Church in Dallas, said Monday he “appreciated” Griffiths’ consideration of a third-party review. He questioned why other board members were seemingly opposed to the idea.
“My hope is that by October’s time, they come to the recognition that this gentleman, whom they laud, is seeking to move us in the right direction and that they would support his intuition,” Waters told The News.
Reilly Smith scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:38 left in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights beat Dallas 3-2 on Sunday night, denying the Stars’ bid to clinch a playoff berth.
Vegas’ Mitch Marner skated into the high slot and his shot ricocheted off two Dallas players and landed near Smith, who scored from close range past a defenseless Casey DeSmith. The deciding goal came after the teams played more than seven minutes without a whistle.
Brayden McNabb and Ivan Barbashev also scored for Vegas, which snapped a three-game skid and won for just the third time in nine games. Adin Hill made 13 saves for the Golden Knights, who outshot Dallas 33-15.
Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston set a franchise single-season record with his NHL-leading 23rd power-play goal. Johnston held the mark for the most in a season since the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993-94. His latest moved him past Dino Ciccarelli (1986-87) for the most for the Minnesota-Dallas franchise.
Justin Hryckowian also scored for Dallas (43-16-11), which is five points behind Western Division-leading Colorado (102). The Avalanche lead the NHL and Western Conference with a record of 46-13-10. DeSmith stopped 30 shots as the Stars lost for the third time in four games. Sam Steel had two assists.
McNabb opened the scoring at the 4:01 mark of the first period, carrying the puck out of his own zone, splitting two defenders and beating DeSmith low to the glove side.
Johnston scored his 38th of the season on a power play at 10:55 of the second, and Hryckowian put the Stars ahead with his 11th of the season at 16:48.
Barbashev tied the game at 2, scoring on a power play at 16:48 of the second after Nils Lundkvist was sent off for slashing. Barbashev took a feed from Brett Howden and scored from a tough angle near the side of the net.
Golden Knights: At the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Stars: Host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Last week The New York Times published an investigation into Cesar Chavez, the late Mexican American labor leader and civil rights activist, detailing allegations of sexual abuse involving women and underage girls. The accusations caused a ripple effect across Texas and the U.S., leading to calls from government officials and organizations to drop his name from streets, schools and holidays.
Gov. Gregg Abbott on Wednesday announced Texas will no longer observe Cesar Chavez Day and said he plans to ask lawmakers to remove the holiday from state law. Former Dallas City Council member Steve Salazar said the city should be open to renaming downtown Dallas’ Cesar Chavez Boulevard, after Salazar worked for over a decade to name the street after him.
The Dallas Morning News asked North Texans Friday morning on Instagram: As calls mount to remove Cesar Chavez landmarks in D-FW, who should be honored instead?
The callout yielded about 39 responses by Friday afternoon. Here are some of the notable names people suggested:
A September 1976 staff photo of Dallas City Council member Juanita Craft.
The Dallas Morning News
Retired Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki poses for photos after unveiling a street sign with his name on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 outside American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)
Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer

FILE – Dolores Huerta, the Mexican-American social activist who formed a farm workers union with Cesar Chavez, stands for the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish while visiting the New Mexico Statehouse in Santa Fe. N.M., on Feb. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)
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Dallas native Owen Wilson plays football on the field with friends on the NFL Network before Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium, Sunday, February 6, 2011.
People look at a mural honoring Spc. Vanessa Guillén painted by artist Juan Velasquez on a wall located at the corner of W Ripy St and Hemphill St in Fort Worth, TX July 6 2020. (Photo Omar Vega / Al Dia Dallas)
Omar Vega

Jerry Haynes as Mr. Peppermint in a 1978 file photo.

Stevie Ray Vaughan (handout photo/1994)

Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, pauses during microphone check before the start of the first day of the Republican National Convention Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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President Donald Trump waves, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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FILE – Chuck Norris, actor, mixed-martial arts champion and Air Force veteran, speaks during a promotional tour of “The Delta Force” movie in San Francisco on Feb. 4, 1986. (Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)
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Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards is one of only two women to serve as governor of Texas so far. She is also the last Democrat to serve in the position that has since been held by Republicans.
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