For the second time in eight months, a lawsuit has been filed against a Sierra Vista-based social services in connection to the alleged sexual abuse of children.
The lawsuit filed in Cochise County Superior Court earlier this month by the mother of John Doe alleges the boy was sexually and emotionally abused by Steven Joel Spurlock while a client of Caring Connections for Special Needs, LLC., which provides behavioral services to children.
At the time, Spurlock worked as a mentor for Caring Connections and had unsupervised access to the clients. He is currently serving 25 years in prison for his misconduct with two boys in August 2015, one of whom was kidnapped and abused by Spurlock who allowed police to believe the boy was a runaway.
According to the July 1 lawsuit, Spurlock would often drive to John Doe’s home or school and spend time with the boy in Spurlock’s role as a mentor, often going on outings. Spurlock is accused of sexually and emotionally abusing John Doe during the outings for over one year, the lawsuit states.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Spurlock as well as Centene Corporation; Cenpatico of Arizona, Inc. dba Cenpatico Integrated Care; Health Net of Arizona, Inc. dba Arizona Complete Health; and Caring Connections. Each defendant, the lawsuit alleges, is legally responsible for the “reckless, negligent, and grossly negligent acts and resultant damages” committed by Spurlock and those responsible to supervise him.
The lawsuit is similar to one filed last year against the same defendants in connection to the 2015 kidnap and abuse case. Both lawsuits allege Caring Connections hired Spurlock despite his criminal history between 1995 and 2002 which included felonies convictions and prison time.
There was also a report filed with the Sierra Vista Police Department in 2005 about Spurlock’s alleged molestation of a minor boy three years earlier. And Spurlock was cited in Cochise County in 2013 with providing alcohol to minors while working at a bartender.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety initially denied Spurlock a fingerprint clearance to work with children but staff at Caring Connections persisted in obtaining a “good cause exemption” allowing Spurlock to work unsupervised with children.
John Doe began attending Caring Connections in 2014 as an eight-year-old ward of the State. He had previously suffered abuse, and needed behavioral services.
“Spurlock immediately began to groom Plaintiff when he was hired by Caring Connections by spending an extensive amount of time with him, gifting Plaintiff with toys, and taking Plaintiff to Spurlock’s home to play videogames during Caring Connections’ business hours.,” the lawsuit alleges, adding that there were reportedly complaints from other employees about Spurlock “having boys sit on his lap and hugging them inappropriately.”
After Spurlock came under investigation in the 2015 kidnap case, but before his January 2016 arrest, the lawsuit alleges he tracked down” John Doe at school and “threatened him with harm if he disclosed anything to the police.”
Few details about Spurlock’s history were made public during the prosecution of the kidnap case because the matter was resolved via a plea deal. However, the two lawsuits describe several examples of Spurlock’s alleged misconduct with young boys dating back to 1998.
Then in 2002, Spurlock was found in bed with a 12 or 13-year-old boy. Despite a restraining order obtained by that boy’s mother, Spurlock persisted in having contact with the boy, at one point allegedly helping the boy break out of a juvenile treatment center.
Investigators also interviewed a young man who described being molested as a 12-year-old by Spurlock after the boy’s guardians sent him to live with Spurlock around 2010. Communications between the two confirmed Spurlock offered the boy alcohol, clothes, and drug in exchange for sexual contact.
That history, according to the new lawsuit, is why DPS initially denied Spurlock a clearance card, and why Caring Connections and the other agencies responsible for the boy’s care should be held liable to the emotional harm cases by Spurlock’s alleged abuse.
“The duties of caring for troubled young children requires a careful background check and hiring process, as such children are extremely vulnerable and easily manipulated,” the lawsuit states. “Defendants’ negligent hiring practices and negligent supervision resulted in serious harm to Plaintiff, which could have easily been prevented by proper hiring practices and adequate supervision.”
Records from the Arizona Department of Corrections show Spurlock is serving a 17 year sentence in connection to the August 2015 kidnap incident as well as 8 years for offering another young boy alcohol and access to video games in exchange for allowing Spurlock to “cuddle” the week before.
Spurlock is not eligible for any early release credits. Once released he must serve lifetime probation and register as a sex offender.