Former Social Worker Sentenced
For Harassing Ft. Riley Soldier
TOPEKA, KAN. – A former social worker has been sentenced to three years probation for harassing a Ft. Riley soldier, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Rachelle Santiago, 44, Manhattan, Kan, also agreed to surrender her license to practice social work to the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board and not to reapply for a license in Kansas or any other state. Santiago pleaded guilty to one count of fleeing from a police officer, one count of criminal restraint, one count of making a criminal threat and one count of unlawfully entering military property.
In her plea, she admitted that in January 2011 she treated a Ft. Riley soldier for mental health problems. During a meeting with him she became physically aggressive. She embraced him and rubbed her body against him. She also left phone messages and sent text messages threatening him. After the soldier reported her conduct, military authorities banned her from the post. On Jan. 11, 2011, she breeched the gate at a high rate of speed. She drove at speeds up to 110 miles per hour before Fort Riley Police took her into custody.
Grissom commended the Ft. Riley Police, the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Graham for their work on the case.
