Florida CPI Worker Arrested, Accusing Of Falsifying Reports After Trainee Spots Case File Discrepancies: Sheriff

An ex-Florida Child Protective Investigations employee was arrested after she allegedly knowingly falsified reports and a trainee with the agency spotted discrepancies, authorities said.

According to Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, on April 1, Jennifer Lewis, 29, was booked on felony counts of falsifying and altering Department of Children and Families' documents and she bonded out the same day.

“Her role was to protect children,” Nocco said at an April 4 press conference covered by WTVT. “It’s probably one of the toughest roles in our agency. Jennifer Lewis failed in those responsibilities.”

Nocco said a trainee spotted a possible issue with the child protection investigator’s reports about visiting two families and claiming she interviewed them when she didn’t. The trainee then alerted a CPI supervisor.

“The trainee came forward and said to her supervisor, ‘There is a problem here. This does not match up,’” Nocco said, explaining Lewis, who was reportedly with the agency for five years, resigned from her position in March 2021 and the alleged issue came to light.

“The story does not stop there for us. We have to go back, and we have to make sure everything is done properly,” Sheriff Nocco noted of the 27 cases Lewis was last working on while employed with CPI. “I applaud that trainee for doing what she did.”