Former KY Juvenile Justice officials sue agency, say they were 'scapegoats'
Two former state administrators are suing the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, saying they were scapegoated and unfairly demoted in 2021 after the Lexington Herald-Leader reported on problems inside the state’s juvenile detention center in Bowling Green. The plaintiffs, who are Black women, also claim discrimination, alleging the Department of Juvenile Justice paid them less than it paid others who held equivalent administrative jobs around the state. Tina Crowe was superintendent at the Warren Regional Juvenile Detention Center from Dec. 1, 2020, to Oct. 11, 2021, after two decades of climbing the ranks at the department. Rondesia Whitlow was a regional facilities administrator, supervising several detention centers, including the one in Bowling Green, until Oct. 11, 2021. Crowe and Whitlow are suing the Department of Juvenile Justice and its current and former commissioners, Randy White and Vicky Reed. The women say they were demoted on Oct. 11, 2021, after the Herald-Leader published a series of stories on problems within the state’s juvenile detention centers, including a riot and extended lockdown in the Warren Regional Juvenile Detention Center. The man who replaced Crowe as superintendent was paid more than her despite having less experience with the Department of Juvenile Justice, according
