CBD is illegal in Indiana says Attorney General Curtis Hill, Jr. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar
Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura is taking on a new role in the state of Indiana after resigning from her post as Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) in December.
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced Bonaventura will be joining his staff as special counsel in a new release on Wednesday.
Bonaventura was appointed lead DCS in 2103 by then-Gov. Mike Pence. On Dec. 12, Bonaventura wrote stinging letter of resignation to Gov. Eric Holcomb.
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Bonaventura, who has worked in child welfare for 36 years, said could not watch Hoosier children "being systematically placed at risk, without the ability to help them."
"I feel I am unable to protect children because of the position taken by your staff to cut funding and services to children in the midst of the opioid crisis," she wrote. i"I choose to resign, rather than be complicit in decreasing the safety, permanency and well-being of children who have nowhere else to turn."
Without serious changes, Bonaventura warned, "I fear lives will be lost and families ruined."
“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with (Attorney General) Hill on continuing the fight against the opioid crisis and tackling the many challenges facing Hoosiers and their families,” Bonaventura said.
Holcomb, a Republican, addressed the DCS situation earlier this month in his first State of the State address.
“I’ll state right now,” he said, “There’s no one who cares more about Hoosier children than I do, and I’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of our agency and its mission.”
Holcomb decided to hire an outside consultant to review problems at the Department of Child Services, despite calls for a legislative investigation from Democrats.
“I’m extremely pleased to bring aboard a leader of such caliber as Judge Bonaventura,” Republican Hill said. “Her breadth of experience and depth of knowledge will continue to prove indispensable assets to the citizens of Indiana as she steps into this next phase of her distinguished public service.”
Bonaventura will begin her new role on Jan. 22.
Marisa Kwiatkowski contributed to this report. Chris Sims is a digital producer at IndyStar. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.