A Moffat County caseworker who was accused of fabricating reports is now facing charges of forgery and abuse of public records. For over a year Hester Renee Nelms was under investigation by the district attorney’s office in Moffat County, shares the Colorado Sun. In 2020, a crew of 15 caseworkers that were from across Colorado set up operations to reinvestigate more than 80 reports of child abuse and neglect. Investigators found at least 50 cases containing falsified details, including many in which Nelms never made contact with the children or parents. The discovery of false reports came about when in 2019, state child welfare officials notified that Moffat County’s child welfare division that it was behind on meeting requirements for abuse and neglect assessments. Of the 120 abuse and neglect cases that were open 90% were Nelms.
