Houston Chronicle, March 13, 2007 AUSTIN - A state lawmaker said Monday that the Texas Youth Commission's system for investigating abuse allegations and referring them to authorities is so inadequate that most of the cases have ended up in the records rooms of local police departments "to gather dust." TYC says it has referred 6,600 cases of abuse and neglect to law enforcement agencies. The cases were initially investigated by civilian personnel with no law enforcement background, who then faxed notices to the records division of local police departments that the cases could not be confirmed and were closed. Also Monday, TYC special master Jay Kimbrough said he found new problems at state-run facilities when he made surprise inspections during the weekend. At one, a boy with mental problems was not receiving his medicine. At another, a girl with a swollen foot had been waiting weeks for an X-ray. Kimbrough said in both cases the delay seemed to stem from the University of Texas Medical Branch health service, which provides health care for both the adult and youth prison systems. UTMB has been criticized in the past for providing inadequate care.