Teen staying in a group home in Arizona sexually assaulted

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (CNN, KYMA/KECY) - Authorities in Arizona say a teen staying in a group home was sexually assaulted by a staff member who is now facing charges.

48-year-old Christopher Lamont Allen was supposed to supervise children overnight at Desert Lily Academy. Instead, investigators and child advocates say he betrayed that trust.

"He was the adult that was in that situation to keep them safe and chose not to," said Dominique Roe-Sepowitz with Arizona State University.

On the night of July 27, detectives say surveillance video captured Allen and a teenage girl entering a closet twice during Allen's overnight shift.

"Predators like this look for kids in situations that they don't have all the tools to protect themselves," Roe-Sepowitz spoke.

The girls' case manager confirmed she has a history of being trafficked and abused by adults who were supposed to protect her.

Roe-Sepowitz says this kind of history makes victims more vulnerable to predators.

"What it does is deepens the message that what she's good for is sexual contact," Roe-Sepowitz expressed.

Allen denies the allegations, telling police he only took the girl to retrieve a tampon, a towel or clothes.

"They have to hold those children to the utmost care and have the workers there be very, very good, well checked out, tested, and always accountable, that making sure there are multiple eyes, that no one's left alone, no one's allowed to go in a closet with a child ever," Roe-Sepowitz said.

Roe-Sepowitz says the case exposes just how fragile protections can be for children at-risk and how easily those safeguards can fail.

"Those places of refuge, those places of healing have to have the infrastructure to keep those children safe. They have to have checks and balances and accountability for the adults that are supervising those children," Roe-Sepowitz remarked.

Allen is facing felony charges of sexual conduct with a minor, and police say their investigation is ongoing.