Sheriff: Child investigator fired for lying

PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - Deputies in Pasco County say a Child Protective Services investigator wanted to wrap up a case quickly, so she lied.  Now she's been fired and arrested.

Detectives say it all started in April when Christine McRobbie was supposed to look into a mother and father who were accused of using drugs.  Sheriff Chris Nocco says it's unclear if she ever met with them before filing a report saying the father's tests came back clean.

Some time later, that mother ended up in the hospital and tested positive for hydrocodone, so the sheriff's office started asking McRobbie questions. 

She allegedly admitted that she lied to try to quickly close the case.

Thursday, she received a letter notifying her she's been fired and charged with a felony for falsifying a report. 

"That's absolutely unacceptable," Nocco stated.  "From a criminal standpoint, she committed a crime. From a member standpoint of Pasco Sheriff's Office, she was terminated immediately because we don't rush on cases, they're thoroughly done.  Especially when it comes to a child.  We do everything in our power to protect those children."

The sheriff says every one of McRobbie's cases is now in question.  The state attorney's office is in the process of looking into them, although the exact number was not immediately available.

Investigators also tell us that family in this case has multiple children -- and the baby was born addicted to hydrocodone.