A former therapist at Rivendell Behavioral Health Services is accused of kissing a 15-year-old boy who was being treated at the facility for sexual disorders.

Fantom Shakeria Smith, 29, 1114 S. Green St. in Glasgow, is charged with endangering the welfare of a minor. She was arrested Friday when she turned herself in at the Bowling Green Police Department, according to Warren Circuit Court records.

“We are taking this crime very seriously because of the nature of the abuse subjected upon the child,” Warren County Attorney Amy Milliken said. “Ms. Smith was clearly in a caregiver role charged with treating, not harming, the child.”

Bowling Green police received a tip through the Crime Stoppers hotline Wednesday alleging that a Rivendell therapist was having a relationship with a patient, according to city police records. Detectives Barry Raley and Jared Merriss investigated the tip. The allegations had originally been reported to the centralized intake of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. It is not clear from police records if the cabinet took action.

State law prohibits the cabinet from commenting on any specific case, spokeswoman Anya Webber said.

When Raley and Merriss arrived at Rivendell and explained why they were there, Clinical Director Denise Champagne told police that the hospital fired Smith the previous week for not following an action plan that they had in place for her regarding the patient she is accused of kissing.

Champagne and Risk Manager Karen Walker were both aware of an incident Sept. 21 when Smith’s husband, Jason Smith, showed up at Rivendell yelling that he had seen his wife “making out” with a male patient when he looked through a window at the building. Rivendell personnel called police that night, and Jason Smith was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest and tampering with physical evidence.

Before that night, Rivendell had implemented an action plan for Smith due to complaints from staff members that she was holding excessively long therapy sessions with a male patient. On July 14, Smith violated that action plan, records show. On July 19, the patient who Smith is accused of kissing was removed from Smith’s caseload. She was told to have no further clinical contact with the teen, according to police records.

“From the time we became aware of any allegation we have worked with all of the authorities that have been involved in the investigation,” Rivendell Chief Executive Officer Janice Richardson said. “We’ve disclosed whatever information was requested of us. Because of the confidentiality of the treatment, we can’t really talk about the case itself. But we have taken every measure we can to assure the safety and well being of our patients.”

Raley and Merriss interviewed the teen, who said that the two had kissed on three separate occasions. On Thursday, Raley and Merriss interviewed Smith at her home in Glasgow, police records show.

Smith told police that she was stunned the first time the teen kissed her and doesn’t remember if their lips touched. She said she did not have feelings for the teen but when they kissed two other times, her “lips kissed back.” Smith said she didn’t report the incidents because she did not want to get the teen into trouble. She also feared that she would be fired, according to police records.

Smith also admitted to giving the teen her cellphone number and told police that she made a mistake doing that and had planned on changing her phone number.

Smith was taken to Warren County Regional Jail on Friday. She posted a $709 bond pending an Oct. 24 court appearance in Warren District Court. If convicted as charged, Smith could spend up to 12 months in jail.