A juvenile corrections officer arrested Wednesday night in Mesa had a six-month sexual relationship with a 16-year-old inmate at Adobe Mountain School in Phoenix, court records show.
According to Maricopa County Superior Court records, Karen Liden, 33, admitted to using methamphetamine and having sexual relations with the boy in an office and storage shed at the school.
A Maricopa County commissioner set Liden’s bail at $36,000 Thursday. If she posts bail, Liden will be fitted with an electronic monitoring device and placed on house arrest. She also will not be allowed to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18.
According to court documents, a 17-year-old boy told authorities he had sexual relations with Liden from the time he arrived at Adobe Mountain in February 2003 until he left in July 2003.
Liden, who has worked for the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections for three years, was placed on administrative leave Feb. 17.
Investigators with the Department of Juvenile Corrections were looking back at three years’ worth of physical and sexual abuse claims to determine if they were handled correctly when they developed new information that eventually led to Liden’s arrest, said Patti Cordova, department spokeswoman.
Investigators are trying to determine if there are additional victims, Cordova said.
