AJ Freund's DCFS Worker Guilty In Child Endangerment Case

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — The DCFS caseworker responsible for handling AJ Freund's case has been convicted on felony charges Friday following a lengthy trial.

Carlos Acosta, 57, of Woodstock, was found guilty on charges of endangering the life of a child and health of a minor, Class 3 felonies, and reckless conduct, a Class 4 felony, according to a Shaw Local News Network report. His supervisor, Andrew Polovin, 51, of Island Lake, faced the same charges in the child endangerment case but was cleared.

It's rare for DCFS employees to be charged with wrongdoing in connection with a child's death but during a lengthy statement explaining the verdict, McHenry County Judge George Strickland said Acosta failed to protect the 5-year-old boy who was allowed to stay with his family even after officials noticed unexplained injuries on him, found filth throughout the home and even despite a history of domestic violence and his mother's heroin use, according to the newspaper.

"This was a refusal to investigate," Strickland said Friday.

As for Polovin, Strickland said there was not enough evidence to prove he'd been provided with all the facts detailing the dangerous situation prior to AJ Freund's death, according to Shaw Local News Network.

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