THE REAL REBECCA DOW:
A DANGER TO NEW MEXICO CHILDREN
REBECCA DOW SAYS SHE CARES ABOUT THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN IN OUR STATE.
HER PUBLIC RECORD SHOWS SHE HAS PUT THEM IN HARM’S WAY OVER AND OVER … AND OVER.
Far too often, New Mexicans see horrifying stories in the news about children facing abuse and neglect.
What the voters of District 38 should know is that Rebecca Dow has also been responsible.
She has tried to hide the facts from the public. But New Mexicans deserve the truth.
Rebecca Dow, as the founder and director of a taxpayer funded daycare, AppleTree Educational Center, and the Boys and Girls Club of Sierra County, was responsible for the welfare of children. Time and again local children have been victimized under her care.
REBECCA DOW FAILED TO DO REQUIRED BACKGROUND CHECKS…REPEATEDLY
Rebecca Dow’s former employee—who she did not subject to a required background check—was sentenced to six years in jail for raping one child and molesting two others in 2015.
Rebecca Dow’s child care center, AppleTree Educational Center, has been found in non-compliance for performing required staff backgrounds, according to CYFD Survey Reports for years 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2018.
REBECCA DOW HIRED AND PROMOTED A CHILD PREDATOR AT HER TAXPAYER-FUNDED DAY CARE
Dow hired a child predator without proper vetting of his background — and then she promoted him to a position where he would have isolated contact with minors, despite a written warning in his file warning of his inappropriate behavior.
According to NM Political Report:
“Republican state Rep. Rebecca Dow, who was elected last November, was accused of negligence when she hired and then promoted Alejandro Hernandez to work with children. Dow owns and operates both the Boys and Girls Club of Sierra County and AppleTree Educational Center. While working for the Boys and Girls Club of Sierra County, Hernandez had unlawful sexual conduct with two boys under his care. Hernandez is currently in jail for those crimes.”
— State lawmaker settles lawsuit for $260,000, NM Political Report
REBECCA DOW BULLIED THE VICTIM’S FAMILY TO TRY TO PROTECT HER POLITICAL CAREER.
The mother of one of the victims worked for Rebecca Dow, and Dow allegedly threatened to fire her because she was running for office.
In his complaint against Dow and her business, the mother’s attorney Mark Filesa wrote that Dow discouraged the family from suing because she was running for office. Dow’s lawyers in return accused Filosa and the family of courting media attention because of Dow’s campaign.
— ’They’re making it look like we’re the evil people’ NM Political Report
Alleged retaliation after child exploitation
The un-filed lawsuit accuses Dow and [Amelia] Wilcox [Dow’s business partner] of threatening to fire the mother after learning she sought her own attorney to deal with the molestation incident.
Wilcox, according to the un-filed suit, saw the mother’s car “in front of a lawyer’s office in the small town of Truth or Consequences.” Dow and Wilcox subsequently tried to “coerce [the mother] into foregoing filing a claim” by “putting pressure on her through the possible loss of her employment,” according to the unfiled lawsuit.
— House candidate faces deposition in civil case after ex-employee’s child rape conviction, NM Political Report
REBECCA DOW PAID $260,000 - A MASSIVE SETTLEMENT TO MAKE THE LAWSUIT GO AWAY.
The victim’s family stood up to Rebecca Dow to get justice and help for their child.
State lawmaker settles lawsuit for $260,000
A New Mexico lawmaker from Truth or Consequences agreed to settle a civil lawsuit alleging her negligence as an employer for $260,000. Republican state Rep. Rebecca Dow, who was elected last November, was accused of negligence when she hired and then promoted Alejandro Hernandez to work with children.
The suit alleged that Hernandez was hired without proper vetting and was later promoted to a position allowing him isolated contact with minors, even after a teenager accused him of asking an inappropriate and explicit question.
The lawsuit states Dow advocated for Hernandez’s promotion to two others on an interview panel despite a written warning in his file for inappropriate behavior. According to the original complaint against her, Dow had also tried to persuade the mother involved in the lawsuit, an employee of AppleTree, not to sue. Instead, Dow offered to help pay the family’s expenses.
— State lawmaker settles lawsuit for $260,000, NM Political Report
TODAY, REBECCA DOW TRIES TO DISTANCE HERSELF FROM HER RESPONSIBILITY, BUT CAN’T.
In 2022, Rebecca Dow launched an unsuccessful run for Governor in the Republican Primary. Her opponent, Republican Mark Ronchetti ran an ad hitting Dow for her role in the child molestation case. This is the copy of his ad:
“Deeply troubling. Rebecca Dow ran a taxpayer-funded daycare. Her employee was accused of lewd conduct. Dow still promoted him, put him in charge of children at an overnight sleepover, where he assaulted them. Dow tried to bully the victim’s family, but they stood up and sued Dow. The predator was sent to prison, and the lawsuit? Victims were paid $260,000. Rebecca Dow can’t be trusted.” - “Troubling” - Ad
FACT CHECK: KOAT Verifies Ronchetti’s Ad in Child Molestation Case Against Dow’s Daycare, The Conservative New Mexican
KOAT TV-7 FACT-CHECKED RONCHETTI’S CLAIMS IN HIS AD AND DETERMINED THEY WERE TRUE.
KOAT evaluated the allegations. These are their findings:
CLAIM: Did Dow run a taxpayer funded daycare?
According to her bio and tax documents obtained by KOAT, “Dow was running two organizations, AppleTree Educational Center and Boys and Girls Club of Sierra County. According to the state’s checkbook, AppleTree received more than $8 million since 2009, and is still receiving money.”
CLAIM: Was Dow’s employee accused of lewd conduct with a teenager and promoted?
KOAT: Court documents of the lawsuit against Dow claim “Dow was aware of a previous incident in which Hernandez had, quote, ‘inappropriately questioned at least one teenaged girl about having sex with her boyfriend.’ The suit says Hernandez was not fired and instead received a written warning. Court records show Hernandez later oversaw the sleepover. The suit also says, after the first incident, Dow had interviewed Hernandez for a promotion and wanted him to get one. However, it is not clear if he was actually promoted.”
CLAIM: Dow tried to bully the victim’s family to discourage them from filing a lawsuit. The predator was sent to prison, and families paid a $260,000 settlement.
KOAT: “The lawsuit shows Dow was accused of trying to coerce the boy’s family from filing a claim.”
“Court documents show Hernandez pled guilty to two counts of criminal sexual contact, and was sentenced to six years in prison. The case was settled. However, it’s not clear how much the two childcare centers run by Dow paid out. Many of the documents in reference to the settlement have been sealed.”
While records prove the perpetrator was an employee, did plead guilty, and was sentenced to six years in prison, the absence of documentation of the settlement prevented KOAT from verifying the settlement amount. However, news reports at the time confirm Dow settled the lawsuit for $260,000, citing audio of the court hearing in the 7th Judicial District Court.
DOW’S RESPONSE: Dow told KOAT she sat on board of Boys and Girls Club but said the staff oversaw day-to-day operations, and the organization called parents in the club to encourage any other potential victims to come forward.
That was the extent of her response to KOAT.
WHAT DOW DOESN’T SAY: Dow doesn’t deny the facts of the case. By accusing Ronchetti of “re-victimizing” the molested children, she acknowledges the abuse occurred. Stating that she sat on the board may not be false, but Dow does not discredit documentation showing her role extended well beyond a board seat. And finally, while her efforts to reach out to other potential victims is admirable — and parents should expect nothing less — this statement appears to be a redirection from the actual questions KOAT asked.
Dow doesn’t address whether or not she promoted or advocated for the promotion of the perpetrator, and she doesn’t address the settlement amount. Dow previously told The Santa Fe New Mexican that “the Boys & Girls Club of Sierra County paid the settlement,” and that her name “was removed from the lawsuit without prejudice.”
FACT CHECK: KOAT Verifies Ronchetti’s Ad in Child Molestation Case Against Dow’s Daycare, The Conservative New Mexican
The lawsuit is public record. Rebecca Dow can’t hide from the truth: Her decisions led to the sexual violation of an innocent child, and instead of acknowledging the horror her actions caused, she chose to make threats and ultimately pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the lawsuit go away.