Sexual-assault case sparks a lawsuit

Filing against state agency, ex-worker linked to accusation from 2009

— A woman who says she was raped by a Department of Human Services worker in his office while he was supposed to be processing her request for assistance filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the agency and the man, who no longer works there.

According to a Little Rock police report, the woman arrived at the Base Line Road Human Services office on July 27, 2009, so that her foodstamps application could be processed and met with thenemployee Walter Boykins in his office.

“Almost immediately after directing her into the office alone, under pretense of assisting her, Walter Boykins physically accosted, sexuallygroped and otherwise physically assaulted [her],” the lawsuit reads.

“In fear and under duress, [she] escaped from the office and notified law enforcement who ... arrested Boykins.”

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette does not identify victims of rape or sexual assault.

The woman’s attorney, Brian Ray, said he stands by what is in the lawsuit and declined further comment.

The police report shows that Boykins, who also goes by the name Walton Boykins, was arrested at the Base Line Road office at 3:30 p.m. that day and charged with seconddegree sexual assault.

A message left at Boykins’ last known telephone number was not returned by Tuesdayevening.

Julie Munsell, a spokesman for Human Services, said Boykins no longer works for the agency.

The lawsuit alleges that Boykins had “a known history of engaging in sexually inappropriate contact with Arkansas citizens he encountered while on duty as an Arkansas state employee, but at no time was employee Boykins sufficiently observed, disciplined, or supervised in a manner capable of preventing further such illegal conduct.”

Few details about Boykins’ employment with Human Services were available Tuesday. Munsell said he worked for the Division of County Operations, which handles applications for social services such as food assistance.

She said she could not disclose anything else about Boykins - including whether he was fired or anything about his work history - “until there has been resolution through the grievance process.”

Typically, when a Human Services’ employee is fired, he has a legal right to appeal the decision through a grievance process.

The Democrat-Gazette has been trying to obtain Boykins’ personnel records, including details about a termination, since July 21, but that information has not been disclosed because of the unfinished grievance process.

Munsell declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying neither she nor Human Services attorneys had seen it.

Arkansas, Pages 13 on 07/28/2010

Upcoming Events