Eight juvenile males removed from Joshua Home
Eight juvenile males were removed from the Joshua Home near Bertram Wednesday after an investigation into allegations of abuse, neglect, labor violations, fraud, licensing violations, and human trafficking, the Burnet County Sheriff's Office reported today.
During the past several weeks, investigators and officials from many state and local agencies conducted joint investigations into the Joshua Home, which purports to be a residential home for troubled boys and which is affiliated with a nonprofit organization known as The Joshua Home Ministries.
As a result of these efforts, investigators sought and were granted a search warrant from the 33rd District Court of Burnet County. On Wednesday, July 25, investigators from the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Ranger Service, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal Investigations (CID), and DPS Highway Patrol executed the search warrant at the Joshua Home, located in the 2500 block of Ranch to Market Road 243 West near Bertram.
Information and evidence uncovered during the execution of the search warrant led to the issuance of emergency orders for the removal of all eight juvenile male residents from the Joshua Home. Those boys range in age from 10 to 17 years old and have been transferred into the temporary custody of CPS until arrangements can be made to reunite them with their parents, all of whom reside out of state. None of the removed children were relatives of the directors or staff of the Joshua Home.
In addition to the agencies above, the following agencies participated in this investigation in an investigative, support, or advisory role: The Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Texas Comptroller’s Office, The Department of Health and Human Services Child Care Licensing division, The Burnet County Attorney’s Office, the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center, Child Protective Services (CPS) and the 33rd/424th District Attorney.
As this investigation proceeds, the investigators ask that anyone with additional information about the Joshua Home, Joshua Home Ministries, Joshua Home Lawn Care, Joshua Home Movers, or JJW Home Services to contact the investigations division of the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office at 512-756-8080 or by email to cidadmin@burnetsheriff.com.
