DALLAS A Texas Youth Commission administrator charged with sexually abusing teenage inmates got continuing support from a supervisor despite recurring allegations against him, a newspaper investigation has found.

Ray Brookins is the former assistant superintendent of the West Texas State School in Pyote, where a sex scandal erupted in February. He pleaded innocent this month to charges of sexually abusing young inmates.

Lydia Barnard, a former high-ranking director at the commission, chose not to fire or demote Brookins on at least five occasions over five years amid multiple abuse warnings and even though he was caught browsing pornographic Web sites at work, according to agency records. Barnard, 46, now serves as a midlevel supervisor after being demoted in January. She was formerly a director of juvenile prisons, overseeing several facilities.

Brookins is charged with two counts of improper relationship with a student, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and two counts of improper sexual activity with a person in custody, a felony punishable by up to two years in state prison.

John Paul Hernandez, the former principal at the Pyote school, has also been charged. Brookins and Hernandez were accused of sexually abusing six inmates ages 16 to 19.

This is cache, read story here