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2017-2018 Updates, Progress, and Headlines
The following includes updates, progress, and headlines related to teen liberty and institutional abuse. News reports regarding individual programs are now shared primarily on the background information/staff list pages of our website unless the program referenced was closed prior to creation of a staff/background information page or is located outside of the USA . To search our news page using a PC (not a Mac), hit "CTRL+F" and enter the name of the program then hit "enter key" or "return key". If using a Mac (not a PC), hit "Command+F" and enter the name of the program then hit "enter". The Command key on a Mac is also known as the Apple Key or Clover Key.
Due to a recent issue, we've been forced to archive all news articles from 1999-November, 2017. You can view the archived posts/articles by clicking here. See below for most recent news from earliest to latest in descending order.
| Group home worker accused of sexually assaulting teens by WLUK Nicole Simon (Photo courtesy Waupaca Co. Sheriff's Office) WAUPACA (WLUK) - A newly hired worker at a Waupaca County group home for teens faces five counts of sexual assault of a child by a staff member for incidents with two teenage boys. Nicole Simon, 30, returns to court Tuesday afternoon for the balance of her initial appearance. She is currently free after posting a $2,500 cash bond. According to the criminal complaint, Simon started working at a Town of Lebanon group home in early October. The alleged sexual contact happened on five occasions between Oct. 19-30. In one instance, Simon went to the group home on a day off and asked two boys to come to her residence to help her move a couch. Once there, she performed a sex act on a 16-year-old boy, he told police, according to the complaint. “(The victim) did state that he felt he had to have sex with Nicole or he could get in trouble because he knew Nicole was in a position of power at the group home,” the complaint states. The same teen said there was another incident at the group home, and she sent sexual messages via social media. Another teen, 17, described three different sexual encounters with Simon, according to the complaint. Simon admitted to having sex with both teens, “although she claimed the contact with (teen 1) was non-consensual,” according to the complaint. Source: http://fox11online.com/news/local/group-home-worker-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-teens |
| Sex trafficking, and other dangers often pose a threat to children in the foster care system Dr. John DeGarmo on a mission to recruit foster parents Closed Captions Share Video Copied Copied Rewind 10 Seconds Next Up 00:00 00:00 00:32 Closed Captions Share Video Settings Fullscreen By Kimberly McBroom | Posted: Wed 5:55 AM, Nov 08, 2017 | Updated: Wed 9:24 AM, Nov 08, 2017 ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ7) Dr. John DeGarmo is the director of The Foster Care Institute. He's on a national campaign to recruit 10- thousand new foster parents by 2020. DeGarmo says the nation's opioid crisis is fueling the huge need for more foster homes. "More people are becoming addicted to these opioids. Where are the children going? More people are dying from this crisis. 60,000 may have died last year. Where do all of these children go?" says DeGarmo. He and his wife have fostered more than 50 children over the years, adopting three. DeGarmo says our nation's foster care system is in crisis There are more than 500,000 kids in foster care, and not nearly enough homes for them. He says, "So, I'm traveling the nation, working with foster care agencies and child welfare agencies, and just bringing awareness to people that, you know what, this is a great mission you can do." DeGarmo says if more people don't answer that call, there will be even more kids in the foster care system. Often these children are looking for someone to love them, and fall victim to dangerous situations, like sex trafficking. "These children are being lured in through online means from predators. They're being approached by strangers. While not everyone has the means to foster a child, DeGarmo says we can all serve as advocates for these kids. He says if you see a child in need, or in danger, take action. "The absolute first things to do is report it. Do not feel afraid. You need to report it, because if you do not report this, who will?" We have a link to his effort to recruit foster parents to the right of this story. Source: http://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Sex-trafficking-and-other-dangers-often-pose-a-threat-to-children-in-the-foster-care-system-456056993.html |
| A Harbor Springs boarding school worked to erase Odawa culture until the 1980s By Stateside Staff • Nov 8, 2017 Related Program: Stateside TweetShareGoogle+Email View Slideshow 1 of 5 In Harbor Springs, an Indian boarding school forced cultural assimilation for around one hundred years All photos courtesy of the LTBB Odawa Repatriation, Archives, and Records View Slideshow 2 of 5 In Harbor Springs, an Indian boarding school forced cultural assimilation for around one hundred years All photos courtesy of the LTBB Odawa Repatriation, Archives, and Records View Slideshow 3 of 5 In Harbor Springs, an Indian boarding school forced cultural assimilation for around one hundred years All photos courtesy of the LTBB Odawa Repatriation, Archives, and Records View Slideshow 4 of 5 In Harbor Springs, an Indian boarding school forced cultural assimilation for around one hundred years All photos courtesy of the LTBB Odawa Repatriation, Archives, and Records View Slideshow 5 of 5 In Harbor Springs, an Indian boarding school forced cultural assimilation for around one hundred years All photos courtesy of the LTBB Odawa Repatriation, Archives, and Records Listen Listening... 0:00 / 10:58 Stateside’s conversation with Eric Hemenway, director of archives and records for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan History Center. You have probably heard the phrase “school of choice” used when describing public education options in Michigan, but what about a “school of no choice?” That was the case for many native Michiganders for over a century. With November being Native American History Month, Stateside welcomed Eric Hemenway, director of archives and records for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in and around Harbor Springs, and Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan History Center. Read highlights below, or listen to the entire conversation above. On the creation of Indian boarding schools During the westward expansion of the United States, in which large populations of American Indians were killed, the government decided to establish a number of Indian boarding schools around the country to force the adoption of American culture. More importantly, the schools tried to erase the American Indians’ cultures. “The idea is to found these Indian boarding schools where Indian children will basically not be allowed to be Indian children anymore,” says Clark. “The boarding schools varied from community to community, but we had one here up in Harbor Springs,” says Hemenway. The school, Holy Childhood, “started out as a mission school that was in conjunction with the tribe and the local Catholic Church. But as federal policies dictated Indian education into the 1880s, the policy said that Indian language was forbidden, Indian dress was forbidden.” At the boarding schools, Indians were generally taught to be laborers, not any higher professional aspiration like doctors or lawyers, says Hemenway. The students were taught to read and write, but the schools also aimed to “uneducate them on being Odawa.” Students were reprimanded, adds Hemenway, for practicing their culture. On the schools’ closings Most of the schools closed in the 1920s, but almost certainly not for moral reasons. The U.S. government didn’t think of the American Indians as much of a threat, and World War I led the U.S. government to reconsider funding the schools because “they were very, very expensive,” says Clark. “But what makes Holy Childhood an anomaly is that it keeps going for another 60 years,” says Hemenway. “It doesn’t close until 1983 and it’s the last Indian boarding school to do so.” On impacts on American Indian communities The large-scale forcing of American Indian children into abusive schools undoubtedly had massive impacts on those communities. “Loss of language I think is one of the biggest impacts,” says Hemenway. “When these kids were at the school they were forbidden to speak their language, and [there was a] loss of culture, tradition, spiritual beliefs, community ties, family skills.” Repercussions are still felt today. Hemenway explains, “We hear devastating stories of kids who survived the school and they grow up to be our elders and, you know, they talk about the situations they went through and how that affected their ability to raise children and develop relationships with other people because of what happened to them at the boarding schools.” This segment is produced in partnership with the Michigan History Center. Source: http://michiganradio.org/post/harbor-springs-boarding-school-worked-erase-odawa-culture-until-1980s |
| AG's Office: Maple Leaf overcharged Medicaid almost $860,000 Elizabeth Murray, Free Press Staff Writer Published 5:15 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2017 | Updated 5:58 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2017 CLOSE Events in the news through the eyes of Nick Anderson, Darrin Bell, Lisa Benson and Joe Heller.AKI SOGA/FREE PRESS, Wochit Buy Photo The Maple Leaf Treatment Center in Underhill on Wednesday, March 1, 2017.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo CONNECTTWEET 1 LINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE The now-closed Maple Leaf Treatment Center billed the state for Medicaid services not provided to the tune of $860,000, according to a court filing by the Vermont Attorney General's Office this week. The claim against Maple Leaf was filed Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. It is one of 49 claims against the center, including by employees requesting lost wages and businesses stating they are owed money for services performed or goods sold. "The state believes, if required to, that we could prove that the claims were knowingly filed, which means either with knowledge or with reckless disregard for the truth," said Assistant Attorney General Jason Turner, who leads the office's Medicaid Fraud Unit. VTDigger.org was first to report the state's Medicaid claim against Maple Leaf's estate on Wednesday. The defunct Underhill drug and alcohol addiction treatment center closed unexpectedly in February and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Maple Leaf had served as one of three residential treatment centers in the state for opiate addiction. It also operated an an outpatient center in Colchester that was also closed. The total amount all parties say Maple Leaf owes is more than $2 million. In its original bankruptcy filing, Maple Leaf said its total assets were more than $2.4 million, and its liabilities were more than $1.1 million. RELATED COVERAGE: Documents: Maple Leaf under investigation by AG's Office Maple Leaf to sell assets at Underhill location Maple Leaf Treatment Center files for bankruptcy Doctor: Maple Leaf closure "irresponsible" Turner said Wednesday that most of the money the Attorney General's Office believes Maple Leaf overcharged was for claims filed from September 2016 until the center closed for what was supposed to be a temporary period in January. This totaled about $800,000. "During that time period, Maple Leaf, from the state's position, did not have sufficient licensed alcohol and drug counselors to be providing the services for which they were billing," Turner said. Buy Photo The Maple Leaf Treatment Center in Underhill on Wednesday, March 1, 2017. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS) At a one point, there was only a single licensed counselor for the entire business. Turner said the state believes this person was not on-site at the inpatient facility and that the proper services weren't being provided. The center never reopened and announced it was closing indefinitely in February. Maple Leaf double-billed the state for urine toxicology screenings, which accounts for the rest of the claim, or $60,000, the state says. "Maple Leaf was sending those out to a third party who was billing the state while it was included in Maple Leaf's bundled rate," Turner said. Staffing and financing had been among a "combination of factors" considered when the board discussed the future of the nonprofit, the board's president, Jeffrey Messina, said in February. Two other facilities, Serenity House in Wallingford and Valley Vista in Bradford, increased their bed count to help make up for the loss of 41 residential treatment beds. Valley Vista also opened a new facility in Vergennes in July. Turner said he does not anticipate filings in any other court, including criminal court, because of the bankruptcy case. He said now, Maple Leaf's estate trustee will have to look at which claims can be repaid using the assets available. "I think there are concerns about the collectability in this case," Turner said, referring to the Attorney General's Office's claim. "It's important to the state that the employees who were providing care at Maple Leaf are able to get their wages paid." Buy Photo The Maple Leaf Treatment Center in Underhill on Wednesday, March 1, 2017. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS) Maple Leaf's estate trustee Douglas Wolinsky declined to comment on the case Wednesday. Any action regarding claims that can't be repaid will be determined by the estate's trustee and the Bankruptcy Court judge. Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP. Source: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2017/11/08/ags-office-maple-leaf-overcharged-medicaid-almost-860-000/844991001/ |
| Sheriff: 20-year-old man with disabilities assaulted in group home over sandwich Posted 3:20 pm, November 9, 2017, by Jessica Bates, Updated at 04:50PM, November 9, 2017 Facebook627 Twitter Google Pinterest LinkedIn Email Akron group home alleged assault AKRON-The Summit County Sheriff's Office is investigating the allegations of violence towards a 20-year-old man with developmental disabilities inside a group home. According to the Summit County Sheriff's Office, staff members are accused of taking the victim to the basement of the facility, holding him against his will, and striking the victim several times with a broom handle back on Oct 26, 2017. Investigators say it happened because the victim reportedly ate a sandwich which belonged to a staff member. Deputies have arrested manager, Dominique Gladney, 23, program director, Octavious Thomason, 43, and employee Mennyon Davis, 26. Additional charges and arrests are pending. Source: http://fox8.com/2017/11/09/akron-police-20-year-old-man-with-disabilities-assaulted-in-group-home-over-sandwich/ |
| Youth Justice Milwaukee pushes to close troubled Lincoln Hills prison ports Business Opinion Watchdog Tap Fresh Trails Metroparent Green Sheet Obituaries 37°Weather Milwaukee, Wisconsin 7:32 PM A coalition of community, faith and youth advocates on Thursday called on Wisconsin lawmakers to close the state's youth prisons and for Milwaukee County judges to stop sending teens to those facilities. Youth Justice Milwaukee is pushing for state and local officials to provide resources, programs and secure facilities for Milwaukee County youth in the community, instead of the state-run Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, located north of Wausau. "Every news story out Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake makes it clear that these facilities are broken and they can't be fixed," said Jeffrey Roman, co-founder of the coalition. In recent weeks, reports of assault on staff and sexual harassment of female workers, including teen inmates who openly masturbate in front of them, have continued to roil the institution. Lincoln Hills has been under a criminal investigation for nearly three years for prisoner abuse and child neglect. This summer, a federal judge ordered prison officials to curb their use of solitary confinement and pepper spray. State corrections officials say they have made "significant investments" to bolster safety, education, programming and mental health services and improve staff training over the past two years. A 16-year-old girl who was incarcerated at Copper Lake for nine months spoke at Youth Justice Milwaukee's news conference Thursday, saying her family struggled to make the four-hour drive to visit her. She said she spent weeks in solitary confinement. "I felt like I was losing my mind," she said. Milwaukee County Circuit Chief Judge Maxine White was not available for comment Thursday, but the county has cut the number of youth sent to Lincoln Hills and Cooper Lake from 104 in January 2016 to 57 as of October. The county also has been seeking proposals from vendors to help run a 24-bed treatment facility that at capacity could nearly halve Milwaukee transfers to Lincoln Hills. The state Department of Corrections' primary responsibility is to protect the public, and youth at the facility have committed "very serious crimes," often failing in community-based settings, agency spokesman Tristan Cook said in an email. The facility has set up youth council to voice concerns and is creating a similar council for inmates' families, he said. RELATED: Women guards at Wisconsin teen prison subjected to sexual assault, flashing and crude comments RELATED: Attorneys to judge: a few bad teen offenders and staff shortages behind Lincoln Hills disruptions At the news conference, state Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) acknowledged some youth will need to be incarcerated. She said the question was whether Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake were appropriate places to send high-risk, high-trauma youth. "Correctional officers have now also been harmed," she said. "What are we waiting on? Does someone have to die?" Source: http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2017/11/16/youth-advocates-push-close-wisconsin-youth-prisons-call-judges-stop-sending-teens-lincoln-hills/869777001/ |
| Bias on the Bench: Magistrate in Children's Hospital Hacking Case Has Financial Conflicts of Interest Written by C. Mitchell Shaw font size decrease font size increase font size Print Email A young man accused of hacking Boston Children’s Hospital to save the life of a teen girl claims that court documents show that he is the victim of persecution by prosecution. The documents — provided to The New American — also certainly show that the federal magistrate in his case has a severe conflict of interest and yet has not recused herself. The case stems from what can only accurately be called the medical kidnapping of 15-year-old Justina Pelletier by the staff of Boston Children’s Hospital and their accomplices in government. In February 2013, Justina — who had been diagnosed with (and was being treated for) mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic disorder — was taken by her mother from their home in West Hartford, Connecticut to Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) to be treated for flu-like symptoms. Justina’s diagnosis of mitochondrial disease — made by Dr. Mark Korson, the chief of metabolism at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and one of the leading experts in the field of metabolic disorders — was set aside by a BCH doctor in the seventh month of his internship in favor of somatic symptom disorder, a mental illness. The new diagnosis was rubber-stamped by BCH psychologist Dr. Ioana Simona Bujoreanu after one 25-minute examination of Justina and without consulting any other physicians. Bujoreanu — far from objective in this case — researches somatic symptom disorder under a grant from the National Institutes of Health. As investigators say, follow the money. As her funding depends on the grant, Bujoreanu conveniently “found” a case of the disorder to study. If the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail. On Valentine’s Day 2013, when Justina’s parents attempted to discharge her from the hospital, BCH staff sought and received the “help” of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) which took Justina into custody as a ward of the state. DCF justified the action by accusing the Pelletiers of “medical child abuse.” Justina was transferred to “Bader 5,” BCH’s psychiatric ward and all treatment for her disease was stopped. She was held there and at another facility for 16 months, during which time she was in constant pain and her health declined to the point that the girl — who was in competitive ice skating before her incarceration at BCH — was bound to a wheelchair and unable to use the bathroom without assistance. When Marty Gottesfeld — a senior systems engineer with extensive knowledge of computer networks — heard of Justina’s case, he decided to do something about it. BCH had been able to weather the storm of bad press and appeared to have enough pull to avoid being investigated, so Gottesfeld — who was an activist working to expose the “troubled teen industry” — decided to take a different approach. As this writer wrote in a previous article: When Justina Pelletier’s parents took the sick teenager to Boston Children’s Hospital in February 2013, they had no idea the trip would result in a nightmare: the medical kidnapping of their daughter. They also had no idea that a man they had never met would later risk his own freedom to help Justina gain hers. That man — Marty Gottesfeld — believed he needed to act to save Justina’s life. So as a senior systems engineer, he decided to apply his knowledge of computer systems to hit the hospital where it would hurt the most: On April 20, 2014, he knocked them off the Internet during a major fundraising drive. As that article explains, investigators looking into the attack homed in on Gottesfeld because of a video he had posted on YouTube calling attention to Justina’s plight and imploring viewers to do all in their power to “save Justina’s life.” Using the video (which should reasonably be protected by the First Amendment), investigators filed for and received a “Tap and Trace” order to get records related to Gottesfeld’s Internet traffic. Based on the information gathered by executing that order, investigators filed for and received a search warrant for Gottesfeld’s home. Set aside for the moment that the affidavit for the search warrant is rife with errors, misstatements, exaggerations, and outright falsehoods — the main point is that the “judge” (she is actually a federal magistrate) who signed off on the search warrant has direct ties to BCH and its parent organization, Harvard University. Magistrate Marianne Bowler is married to Dr. Marc Pfeffer, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, which oversees BCH and was herself employed as a research assistant in biochemistry at Harvard Medical School prior to starting her legal career. In fact, Bowler was aware — assuming she actually read the affidavit for the search warrant before signing off on it — that the case was a conflict of interest for her, since FBI Special Agent Michael Tunick made the connection to Harvard explicit in the document. In paragraph 8, Tunick wrote: The incoming traffic resulted in significant disruptions to the BCH website and additional disruption to the network on which BCH and other Harvard University-affiliated hospitals communicate. In a statement provided to The New American in April, Gottesfeld wrote, “Magistrate [Marianne] Bowler's deep personal connection to Harvard Medical School and therefore its affiliated pediatric teaching hospital, Boston Children's call into question every aspect of her involvement with her case.” He added, “From her original approval of the search warrant for my residence to her five month delay in issuing a bail finding to my detention over the last 14 months. I am deeply concerned about her ability to remain impartial.” The affidavit for the search warrant — showing that Bowler knew about the connection between BCH and Harvard — seems to bear out Gottesfeld’s claims about Bowler's lack of “ability to remain impartial.” But what of his claims that he is the victim of persecution by prosecution? Well, it turns out that Bowler connections to Gottesfeld’s case run deep and wide. For instance, the search warrant affidavit signed by her also mentions Wayside Youth and Family Support Network (the BCH-affiliated facility to which Justina was transferred after months at BCH). Paragraph 27 says: Since the attack against BHC in April 2014, the FBI has learned of of other DDOS [distributed denial of service] attacks against entities associated with BCH, the Justina Pelletier custody battle, and the troubled teen industry. Additional victims include: NSTAR (which has a relationship with BCH), Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, Judge Rotenburg Educational Center, Greatschools.org, Sorenson’s Ranch, and Logan River Academy. These victims all experienced similar attacks. And here is where Bowler’s next big conflict of interest comes into play. Because Bowler is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors of The Boston Foundation, which raises money for Wayside Youth and Family Support Network. She is listed as such on page 18 of this report. It is not every day that a federal magistrate is given the opportunity to abuse her power by bringing the full weight of her bench against someone who is accused of attacking something near and dear to her. When that does happen, she is supposed to recuse herself. In fact, procedure requires it. And yet, Bowler, who worked for Harvard, is married to a Harvard professor, and is a director emeritus of a foundation that raises money for Wayside Youth and Family Support Network not only signed off on the search warrant (with an affidavit listing Harvard and Wayside as victims of attacks), but continued to preside over the case and has denied Gottesfeld bail though he has been in prison awaiting trial since February 2016. To put that in perspective, Marty Gottesfeld has already been in prison longer that Justina Pelletier was locked away in “medical prison.” Considering that Bowler came under fire when she bent over backward to make sure Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev knew his rights (which resulted in his refusing to continue talking to investigators), and ordered the release of his friend, Robel Phillipos — who was accused of lying to investigators — on $100,000 bond, on the conditions that he remain in his mother's home and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, her handling of Gottesfeld’s case smells of a personal vendetta. Her allegiance appears divided between justice and Harvard with justice getting the short end of the stick. Granted, she was right to make sure Tsarnaev was aware of his rights and she had the legal authority to release Phillipos on bail. But given the difference in the way she has handled the Gottesfeld case, it is clear that he is right to be “deeply concerned about her ability to remain impartial.” It appears that Gottesfeld’s rights would be better protected by Bowler if he were a terrorist. At least then, he’d probably be out on bail and home with his wife. America does not need those who abuse power to sit in places of power. Magistrate Marianne Bowler needs to be removed from this case — if not the bench. More information about Marty Gottesfeld and his defense can be found at www.freemartyg.com. (HEAL Supports Martin Gottesfeld and the #FreeMartyG campaign.) Source: https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/27386-bias-on-the-bench-magistrate-in-children-s-hospital-hacking-case-has-financial-conflicts-of-interest |
| Albany woman gets probation for neglect at Farm Home that led to suicide LILLIAN SCHROCK Corvallis Gazette-Times Lillian Schrock Nov 15, 2017 Updated 20 hrs ago 0 Facebook Twitter Email Buy Now Amanda Jayne Brown, right, appearing at her arraignment hearing April 20 in Benton County Circuit Court. Brown pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge of second-degree criminal mistreatment in connection to the suicide of a 15-year-old boy at the Children's Farm Home last year. The residential psychiatric treatment center is owned and operated by Trillium Family Services. Anibal Ortiz, Mid-Valley Media Facebook Twitter Email Print Save A 21-year-old Albany woman will spend six months on probation for her connection to the death of a 15-year-old boy last year at a residential mental health facility near Corvallis, a Benton County Circuit Court judge decided Tuesday. Amanda Jayne Brown allegedly neglected a 15-year-old boy who was known to be suicidal while working at the Children’s Farm Home last year, according to an investigative report by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. The boy attempted suicide Aug. 15, 2016, and died the following day at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, the report states. The Farm Home, located at 4455 NE Highway 20, is a treatment facility for young people operated by Trillium Family Services. Brown entered a no contest plea to second-degree criminal mistreatment, a misdemeanor. With Judge David Connell’s approval, Brown entered into a diversion program, meaning her case will be dismissed if she successfully completes probation. According to her diversion contract, Brown is required to complete 80 hours of community service for a nonprofit organization and make a $1,000 donation to a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention. She must also write a letter of apology that acknowledges the loss of the victim and attempts to demonstrate empathy, the contract states. Brown is not to be employed or perform volunteer work regarding the care of the elderly, youth or dependent persons, according to the contract. She should also have no contact with the parents or grandparents of the victim, unless the family members ask the court to allow contact, the contract states. Should Brown fail to complete these terms, she could be sentenced to up to one year in jail, according to the contract. Brown was represented in court by Salem attorney Jon Weiner. Advertisement Play Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Stream TypeLIVE Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 00:00 Fullscreen 00:00 Unmute Playback Rate 1 Subtitles subtitles off Captions captions off Chapters Chapters When reached for comment Wednesday, Trillium Family Services President Jamie Vandergon declined comment. An indictment was filed against Brown on March 17, alleging Brown had responsibility for the victim and that she “did unlawfully and with criminal negligence withhold necessary and adequate medical attention or physical care” from the young man. She was cited in lieu of arrest on March 26. “The defendant had reason to know the victim was suicidal,” Benton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Ryan Joslin said during Brown’s April 20 arraignment. According to the Sheriff’s Office report, deputies responded about 9:20 p.m. Aug. 15, 2016, to a building on the Farm Home campus and found employees attempting to resuscitate the boy. Brown told deputies the victim had used razors to cut himself in the past. She said he also made a statement to her that evening about wanting to die, the report states. She said the victim went to take a shower, and after about 40 minutes she realized he was still in the shower, according to the report. When the boy did not respond, Brown contacted a supervisor, she told deputies. They discovered the boy had hanged himself from a bathroom stall, the report states. She said they performed CPR on the boy until medics arrived. The report states it is the Farm Home’s practice to check on a person using the bathroom after 15 minutes. Brown told the deputies she had worked at the Farm Home for 10 months, according to the report. Lillian Schrock covers public safety for the Gazette-Times. She may be reached at 541-758-9548 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @LillieSchrock. Source: http://democratherald.com/news/local/albany-woman-gets-probation-for-neglect-at-farm-home-that/article_c666dcc2-54c1-5be3-97f4-5c68cca9c5d5.html |
| Disturbing allegations against psychologist at Vt. treatment center By Jennifer Costa | Posted: Fri 6:35 PM, Nov 17, 2017 | Updated: Sat 12:13 AM, Nov 18, 2017 MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) Disturbing allegations about the clinical director at a now-defunct drug treatment center. Investigative Reporter Jennifer Costa got her hands on documents that outline a disturbing pattern of intimidation and sexual harassment. The documents show psychologist Charles Sprague Simonds is charged with 11 professional conduct violations during his time at the Maple Leaf Treatment Center. His license to practice is now in jeopardy. Maple Leaf has had its share of problems this year, from allegations of poor care and understaffing to a sudden closure and a Medicaid fraud investigation. "This is a program that's been around for 50 years and to see it go down so quickly like this, it's really tragic," then-Vermont Deputy Health Commissioner Barbara Cimaglio said in February. Now, the secretary of state's Office of Professional Regulation has slapped the facility's clinical director with troubling violations. Documents allege during Charles Sprague Simonds' 10 months at Maple Leaf, he created a "hostile work and treatment environment" through a pattern of disturbing conduct. Simonds is accused making comments about female patients, calling them "whores" or saying they look "sexy" and asking inappropriate details about their sex lives. Staff members allege he showed young women favoritism, made promises about drug treatment and bypassed waiting lists to get them help ahead of others. He's accused of yelling and physically intimidating patients. Some refused to file complaints fearing he would pull their treatment opportunities. Staffers go on to paint a nasty picture of their work environment, telling the state Simonds routinely threatened, cursed and yelled at them, calling them derogatory names like "retarded," "monkeys," "fat and lazy," and threatening to fire them at will while sexually harassing female subordinates. Co-workers claim Simonds banned them from referring residential patients to facilities closer to their homes, instructed them to alter referrals to keep them in the Maple Leaf system and fired a clinician who refused to follow these orders. He is also accused of telling staff members to lie to the state about staffing to maintain funding and of directing clinicians to keep patients longer than necessary to drum up revenue. WCAX News has confirmed that after Maple Leaf closed, Simonds was hired by the state in October to work with children at the Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center as the clinical chief. He was fired Wednesday. Woodside officials say they knew about troubles at Maple Leaf but tell us they were unaware of any allegations against Simonds. They say they called his previous employers and references before hiring him. Simonds has 20 days to respond to the secretary of state's allegations. We reached out to his lawyer but have not heard back. If a licensing review board decides the state has proven its case of unprofessional conduct, Simond's discipline could range from a reprimand to a revocation of his license. Source: http://www.wcax.com/content/news/Disturbing-allegations-against-psychologist-at-Vt-treatment-center-458319673.html |
| Counsellor charged with assault at Oakville group home News 02:30 PM by David Lea Oakville Beaver Share - Oakville Beaver file photo A residential counsellor from the Central West Specialized Developmental Services group home in Oakville has been charged with assaulting one of the residents. In September, Halton police began investigating following reports of an assault at the 53 Bond St. facility. The victim, a resident of the group home, received minor injuries. On Monday, Nov. 20, police arrested and charged Edobor Elaiho, 28, of Brampton with assault. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Det. Const. Tim Nichols of the Oakville Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2214, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca or by texting “Tip201” with the message to 274637 (crimes). Source: https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/7936088-counsellor-charged-with-assault-at-oakville-group-home/ |
| Mother of teen who died at DJJ wilderness camp files wrongful death lawsuit By Jennifer Berry Hawes [email protected] Jennifer Hawes Nov 21, 2017 Updated 22 hrs ago (0) Facebook Twitter Email Buy Now Sheila Seagers and Shadeana Seagers, grandmother and mother of Del'Quan, embrace a photo of the 16-year-old who died at AMIkids Sand Hills two years ago. His family has been fighting to convince authorities that foul play was involved and now have filed a lawsuit against the camp and others. File/Staff Buy Now Lolita Gray, executive director of AMIkids Sand Hills, is one of five camp employees named in a wrongful death lawsuit against the camp. File/Staff prev next Facebook Twitter Email Print Save The mother of a teenager who died at a juvenile justice wilderness camp in 2015 filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the private company that runs it, alleging her son lay dying as its staff made three internal calls before summoning 911 or starting CPR. The 67-page complaint contends that after Del’Quan Seagers suddenly collapsed unresponsive in his dorm at AMIkids Sand Hills, a remote outpost in Patrick, staff took an unreasonable length of time to render him aid and were ill-trained to provide it. “These calls, in conjunction with other failures … substantially delayed emergency medical care to Mr. Seagers, causing and/or contributing to his death,” according to the lawsuit filed by attorney Justin Bamberg. The boy’s mother, Shadeana Seagers, is suing the state Department of Juvenile Justice and AMIkids, a private Florida-based nonprofit that runs six DJJ wilderness camps across South Carolina that house low-level youthful offenders. Neither immediately responded to a request for comment. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a Post and Courier investigation published last month that found a web of secrecy surrounds incidents at the camps, including Del'Quan's death, making it almost impossible for the public to get answers about fatalities and assaults that occur on DJJ’s watch. DJJ officials have steadfastly supported AMIkids and defended the camps as necessary alternatives to sending youth to the detention center in Columbia. AMIkids said its staff followed procedures properly in handling Del'Quan's death. The lawsuit also names five Sand Hills employees, including Executive Director Lolita Gray. It contends that, before Del'Quan's death, Gray had directed camp staff to call her before summoning first responders, “focusing on themselves, their job security, and Defendants’ reputation and financial interests.” The complaint, filed in Chesterfield County, alleges: wrongful death, civil rights violations, gross negligence, corporate negligence, fraud and misrepresentation, and violation of the state Unfair Trade Practices Act. It seeks actual and punitive damages. "I just want justice for my son's death," Seagers said told the newspaper. +4 Buy Now AMIkids Sand Hills is a remote DJJ wilderness camp in Patrick that houses low-level offenders. File/Staff Death at a camp Del’Quan lived in Ladson when he was arrested for shoplifting candy and then got sent to Sand Hills for violating probation. He'd skipped school and didn't follow curfew. Five weeks later, he died. Authorities told his mother the cause of death was asthma, but she didn’t believe it. Seagers has been trying since then to convince authorities that Del'Quan was assaulted before he died. "They took him away from me like no one loved him and swept him under the rug like he was nothing," she said. One teen who was there when Del'Quan died told a friend on Facebook that the teen had been punched in the chest. Another boy told a camp supervisor that he too had witnessed Del’Quan getting punched, while the employee supervising them was in the room. "After asking the other juveniles to stop, decedent was punched multiple times again with great force, at which point he curled over in pain," the lawsuit says. +4 Del'Quan Seagers was 16 years old when he died at one of South Carolina's wilderness camps after he violated probation for stealing candy. Provided Del'Quan was deprived of his constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment when the dorm's staff member, Anthony Cue, watched the assault and then failed to perform CPR, demonstrating "deliberate indifference," the complaint says. Cue told his supervisors that he didn't see Del'Quan fall in the other room just after 9:30 p.m. After hearing a commotion, another teen found him on the floor unresponsive. Cue called Rattler Burch, the shift’s supervisor, who then called the camp’s treatment director, director of operations and executive director, according to a report Gray filed with DJJ. Another report she signed said that Burch called LaKenya Cassidy, the treatment director, at 9:35 p.m. and Gray at 9:40 p.m. Burch called 911 at 9:38 p.m. “We have a student that’s unresponsive right now,” he told the operator. After a teen told Burch that he thought Del’Quan was dead, Burch hung up and returned to the dorm. Six minutes after the first call was made, another employee dialed 911 from his cell phone from beside Del'Quan. “The kid is passed out. Look like he’s not breathing or something,” he said. Someone was doing CPR, he added, and had gotten the “little things you shock with.” In the background, Burch performed CPR while directing someone to work the camp’s defibrillator. Del'Quan was pronounced dead at a hospital. +4 Buy Now Shadeana Seagers looks down at a tattoo of her son Del'Quan. File/Staff Reports of violence The lawsuit alleges myriad problems with violence at the wilderness camps, including an assault at AMIkids White Pines in the Upstate that left multiple staff members, including the executive director, charged with unlawful neglect of a child for roughing up a teen and then falsifying information about it. At Sand Hills, one staff member complained to AMIkids that “students are one riot away" from taking over the camp. Another employee sent AMIkids an anonymous letter complaining that a co-worker had directed a group of teens to assault a fellow youth, the lawsuit says. Another worker allegedly stabbed a juvenile with a car key after the youth took a pen from him. "The incident went unreported until a parent of the juvenile found out, saw the puncture wounds, and filed a formal complaint with the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office," the lawsuit says. Meanwhile, the two-year anniversary of Del’Quan’s death approaches on Saturday. Seagers is planning a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. that night at Sunset Memorial Gardens in North Charleston, where her oldest child is buried. Source: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/mother-of-teen-who-died-at-djj-wilderness-camp-files/article_ac0d699c-ce3d-11e7-bc1f-d7e0f8d5421e.html |
| Teenager dies after being found unresponsive at behavioral center in Virginia - The Washington Post Teenager dies after being found unresponsive at behavioral center in Virginia By Ellie Silverman By Ellie Silverman Public Safety November 24 at 2:17 PM Follow @esilverman11 Authorities are investigating the death of a teenager who was reported to be unresponsive and not breathing at a behavioral treatment center in Northern Virginia. Officials responded at 3:37 p.m. Sunday to a call at North Spring Behavioral Healthcare on Victory Lane in Leesburg, Va., according to Kraig Troxell, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesman for the facility could not be reached for comment. The teenager was taken to a hospital where he later died. Troxell did not provide the youth’s exact age or other details, citing the ongoing investigation. The cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy. A person can be admitted to North Spring Behavioral Healthcare if he or she meets certain criteria for the inpatient acute psychiatric facility, various residential treatment center programs, partial hospitalization or substance abuse intensive outpatient, according to the company’s website. The organization lists its goal as providing “services that will enable the individual to return to a healthy, productive role within his or her family, school, work and community as quickly as possible, utilizing the least restrictive means of treatment while collaborating with community resources and support systems.” Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/teenager-dies-after-reported-unresponsive-at-behavioral-center-in-virginia/2017/11/24/f767967a-d13e-11e7-a1a3-0d1e45a6de3d_story.html?utm_term=.dc32dc5f786f |
| Police charge group home caregiver with assaulting disabled woman Report says worked put hands on victim's neck Adam Walser 8:04 PM, Nov 28, 2017 11:15 AM, Nov 29, 2017 Share Article x Police say an employee of a group home in St. Petersburg for people with disabilities assaulted a client. Police say an employee of a group home in St. Petersburg for people with disabilities assaulted a client. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Police say an employee of a group home for people with disabilities assaulted a client. A police report says other employees of PARC intervened and pulled the caregiver off the victim, then called authorities. PARC’s CEO calls the incident appalling and says it doesn’t reflect on the good work the non-profit does in the community. “She hurt me. She tried to get at my neck,” said Kelly Hunnicutt, in a video recorded by her sister Erin Hunnicutt. 60-year-old Bonnie Burrell was charged with abusing a disabled person last week after police said Burrell placed both hands on Kelly's neck and throat and pushed her. Kelly has cerebral palsy and an intellectual developmental disability. She has lived at the non-profit PARC St. Petersburg group home since she was 9 years old. “It’s wrong. My sister’s nothing but nice to these people and to take advantage of her like that. You shouldn’t be putting your hands on anybody,” said Erin, who is Kelly’s legal guardian. She says she has complained multiple times after she saw signs her sister was injured. Erin also said in recent years, she’s photographed cut, bruises and long toenails on her sister. The state investigated Erin’s prior complaints, but found no evidence of wrongdoing. “This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If you have one event that can be an accident, but if you have several events, I think you have to look at it find out what they’re doing wrong,” said attorney James Ragano, who represents the Hunnicutt family. PARC’s CEO Karen Higgins declined an on-camera interview, but said Burrell passed a background check and had extensive training. Burrell was immediately fired. Higgins said PARC has provided services to the community for more than 63 years and currently serves more than 800 clients. Erin says she hopes there won’t be future issues for her sister. “They’re there to get good care and be taken care of. And it should be a safe place they can trust. If she’s there getting abuse, it’s not right, just because they think she can’t speak up,” said Erin. We called Burrell to try to get her side of the story, but she declined to comment. If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, contact us at [email protected]. Source: http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/police-charge-group-home-caregiver-with-assaulting-disabled-woman |
| Trial begins for LA-area officer accused of abuse at Camp SLO By Chris McGuinness The trial of a Huntington Park police officer accused of abusing children at a disciplinary youth boot camp in 2015 began in SLO County Superior Court this week. click to enlarge File Photo OFFICER ON TRIAL Huntington Park Police Department officer Marissa Larios is on trial in SLO County court for allegedly abusing children at a disciplinary boot camp held at Camp SLO in 2015. Jury selection for the trial of Marissa Elizabeth Larios, 36, began on Nov. 27. Larios faces three misdemeanor charges in connection with her role at the Leadership Empowerment and Discipline (LEAD) boot camp, a program for at-risk youth run by the Huntington Park and South Gate police departments for children ages 11 through 17 and held at Camp San Luis Obispo between May 17 and 24. According to SLO County prosecutors, Larios allegedly participated in the physical abuse of some of the participants in the program along with South Gate Police Department officers Edgar Yovany Gomez, 35, and Carlos Manuel Gomez-Marquez, 32. According to court documents filed in the case, Larios allegedly choked and hit a female cadet under her supervision and placed another in handcuffs for lengthy periods of time. None of the alleged victims were from San Luis Obispo County, according to investigators. Larios is the only one of the three officers to take her case to a jury trial. In August, Gomez and Gomez-Marquez, who are brothers, were sentenced to 60 days in county jail and four years probation after pleading no contest to some of the charges against them. The brothers were accused by multiple victims of various abuses, including punching the children repeatedly, stomping on their hands, and locking them in a dark closet when they broke the rules. "The case against Ms. Larios is weak by comparison, because there is ample evidence to show uses of force she allegedly employed were both within policy and completely justified," Larios' attorney wrote in a December 2016 motion to sever Larios' case from the brothers. The trial is expected to take about two weeks. Δ Source: https://www.newtimesslo.com/sanluisobispo/trial-begins-for-la-area-officer-accused-of-abuse-at-camp-slo/Content?oid=3865051 |
| Jackson County jail director resigns amid growing problems at downtown KC facility By Mike Hendricks [email protected] LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest Reddit Print Order Reprint of this Story December 01, 2017 02:56 PM UPDATED December 01, 2017 05:03 PM Joe Piccinini inherited leadership of the troubled Jackson County jail amid an FBI investigation into guards using excessive force on prisoners. Now, more than two years later, with other troubles mounting and the county’s elected leaders squabbling over the jail’s future, Piccinini has resigned his six-figure job as director of corrections. “He came in at a tough time,” County Executive Frank White said in announcing the leadership change at a Friday afternoon news conference. Piccinini tendered his resignation the day before, White said, and both agreed that new management was needed. Piccinini’s deputy, Diana Turner, will serve as acting director. Unlike Piccinini, she has corrections experience, a requirement for the new permanent director. White said a nationwide search will begin next week. Piccinini had weathered increasing criticism from county legislators alarmed at news of continuing violence and security breaches at the Jackson County Detention Center and adjoining Regional Correctional Center. As recently as Tuesday’s legislative meeting, legislator Crystal Williams challenged White to make a change at the top in light of the most recent assault on a guard on Thanksgiving Eve. “Why do you have the same management team in place running that jail, when incident after incident after incident occurs?” she asked. White denied a change was necessary. “I have complete confidence in the people we have over there,” he said at the time. Exactly 72 hours later, White announced that Piccinini was stepping down, calling him “a man of integrity, compassion and respect.” He said the 57-year-old Piccinini didn’t “want to be a distraction because his priority is to fix the problem and ensure our corrections facility reaches the level of excellence our staff, inmates and community deserve.” Like his predecessor, Ken Conlee, Piccinini came to the job without prior experience running a jail. Both men had completed long careers in law enforcement. Before joining the county corrections department, both had been chief of the Lee’s Summit Police Department. Piccinini replaced Conlee as chief when Conlee took the county job in 2007, then came to work as Conlee’s top assistant in 2014 when Piccinini, too, retired from the police force. Former Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders made him acting director the following year, when Conlee stepped aside with health problems in 2015, and then got the job on a permanent basis. His 2016 employment agreement guaranteed him a base annual salary of $110,500 and an $800-a-month car allowance. It calls for no severance if he quits the job and six months’ pay if he is let go without cause. During his tenure, he oversaw millions of dollars of improvement projects to fix broken cell doors and other renovations, while trying to improve working conditions for corrections officers. But without the benefit of funds to increase guard pay to market levels, he was never able to hire enough staff to run the facility and security suffered. Guards and inmates alike fell victim to violent assaults that made headlines and brought pressure from constituents on county legislators to fix the problem. County officials are now considering whether to build a new jail, but Piccinini will not be the man running it. Turner was named deputy director in September after three years of running the 70-bed juvenile detention and residential treatment centers for Jackson County Family Court. Prior to that, Turner worked with prisoners at halfway houses in Kansas City and for 15 years at the Missouri Department of Corrections, according to her resume. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article187592393.html#storylink=cpy |
| Leader of 'Cult-Like' Boarding School Is Arrested In Late 1980s Cold Case Death Of Toddler Crime 11:36 AM PST, December 2, 2017 - Inside Edition Staff (Cobb County Ga. Sheriff's Office) (Cobb County Sheriff's Office) A Florida woman who once led a religious boarding school described by local authorities as "cult-like" has been arrested in the 1980s death of young boy. Anna Elizabeth Young was arrested near Atlanta Friday according to Alachua County Sheriff’s spokesman Art Forgey. Now 75, Young is charged with torturing and withholding food from Emon Harper, who was 2 or 3 years old at the time, leading to his death. According to authorities, Young operated the House of Prayer for All People near Gainesville from about 1985 to 1995. WCBJ reports that some children who "Mother Anna" once had in her charge came forward as adults to describe the alleged abuse to authorities. Young was convicted in 2001 of one prior abuse after she bathed a child in a tub full of chemicals. Now after a year-long investigation involving the Alachua County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Young is facing new charges. And investigators say there could be more to follow. "The arrest is in no means going to close this case, because there is so much more and so many more potential victims and witnesses," Forgey said. With the help of her former boarding students, authorities think there will be other charges. "Witnesses came forward from the House of Prayer alleging brutality and even some children being murdered," Forgey said. Young was arrested Thursday night and is facing a charge of premeditated first degree homicide-murder of a child, for which she was indicted by a grand jury this week. It is not clear if she has an attorney. Source: http://www.insideedition.com/leader-cult-boarding-school-arrested-late-1980s-cold-case-death-toddler-38609 |
| The Culture of Not Caring in Child Welfare 12/04/2017 01:02 pm ET Jovens Chevalier 150 Foster youth bare the brunt of almost every negative social determinant you can imagine. We are underemployed, undereducated, over-incarcerated, and at higher risk for any-and-every-thing that makes life more difficult. Every piece of empirical evidence available to us paints this picture very clearly. Yet amongst those who work in the space of child welfare, and more broadly youth homelessness, there exists a shocking culture of complacency that at best can be characterized as extreme incompetence, and at worst, potentially life-threatening negligence. I witnessed this first hand over the summer of 2017. I came into the season with a lot of promise. I had been struggling with my mental health, and it’s deteriorating effects on my stability since leaving an abusive relationship the year prior. In May of 2017, I was due to begin a new job as a career civil servant at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health Human Services. It was an opportunity that had come to me after working closely with the True Colors Fund, an organization whose mission is to end LGBTQ youth homelessness. Sadly, just two days after I began my new job, I was terminated. As a result of the federal hiring freeze President Donald Trump ordered shortly after his inauguration earlier in the year, funding for the position was suddenly cut. Even though I had been given a final offer of employment, moved everything I owned from New York City to Washington, D.C., and was literally working on the job for two whole days — the agency had every right to terminate me. All federal employees begin their careers with a 1-2 year probationary period. There was nothing I could do to fight it. I emerged in the aftermath saddled with unnecessary relocation expenses, depleted savings, little resources, and the shallow support system typical of a foster care alum. Sadly, I became homeless again almost immediately, and my mental health suffered as a result. One of the first things I did was reach out to the True Colors Fund to ask for help. They had, after all, encouraged me to pursue this opportunity. I was shocked at how little support I received from them. Outside of sending me a few job postings I didn’t qualify for, the True Colors Fund did almost nothing to help me. At one point, while I was living in my car, I reached out to them and explained how precarious my living situation had become, and that I had little access to resources outside of what I was able to accumulate through the street economy. They responded by offering to look over my resume. I sent it to them, hoping this would be the tip of a lifeline. I never heard back. Daniella Carter Daniella Carter (left) and Kristopher Sharp (right) pose for a selfie before co-hosting the True Colors Fund annual “State of Out Youth” at the 2014 40toNone Summit in Houston, TX. I didn’t realize the extent of the problem until fellow child welfare advocate Daniella Carter, a trans woman of color who grew up in foster care and experienced homelessness as a young adult, told me she too had reached out to the True Colors Fund to seek help after becoming homeless again. Even though the True Colors Fund often references the very real dangers trans youth face while experiencing homelessness, like myself, Daniella received little support from them. After meeting with staff from the True Colors Fund twice to seek help, she had to set up an emergency GoFundMe account to get back into safe and stable housing — something she is still struggling to make a reality. What is most disturbing about mine and Daniella’s interactions with the True Colors Fund is that they have used our storied upbringing as children who grew up in foster care, and our lived experiences surviving youth homelessness in almost all aspects of their work from marketing, to fundraising, to advocacy since 2014. Like many organizations in the profession of child welfare, they took from us, commodified our traumas, and willfully used our lived experiences when it was convenient for them. Yet as we struggled to navigate homelessness, new traumas that manifest from experiencing repeated housing instability, and the potential dangers of the street economy, the True Colors Fund seemingly could not be bothered with us. Screenshots taken from the True Colors Fund website in October of 2017 soliciting donations with images and quotes from Daniella Carter (left) and Kristopher Sharp (right). In early October, a fellow advocate and foster care alum Rusty Pretz committed suicide after a long battle with depression and mental health. When I heard about Rusty’s story, which struck so close to home with what both I and Daniella had been experiencing, I knew that I had to speak up and share mine. For those who work in child welfare, it is no secret that system involved youth are at greater risk of developing mental illness and contemplating suicide. One study suggests that young adults who had been in foster care were nearly four times more likely to have attempted suicide than their peers. In my personal struggle over the summer, I had some dark moments in which I too thought deeply about suicide. I have often wondered if Rusty also tried to seek help before he decided that suicide was his only way out. Did any of the organizations he worked closely with as an advocate step in to help him navigate the challenges he was experiencing with his mental health? Were there people, organizations, or entities who in whole, or in part, turned him away after using his lived experiences and commodifying his traumas as the True Colors Fund did to both Daniella and me? Young people who grow up in foster care almost always leave with little to no systems of support — family, friends, community, etc. So then where was Rusty even supposed to go to seek help? Even more, where were Daniella and I supposed to go? If not to those who have been most intimately involved in our lives, our stories, and our experiences, then to whom? The culture of complacency and the commodification of childhood traumas within the child welfare profession needs to be examined. It is without question, wrong for any organization, person, or entity to use the lived experiences of system involved youth to profit and advance in one breath, and in the next, pretend as if the resources do not exist to help us when we are in crisis. Clearly, it is also paramount that we engage in a deeper conversation about how we are addressing the mental health needs of former foster youth. Lives are on the line every day, and with such high stakes, our actions have to be intentional, and our errors have to be few and far in-between. This story is not about the True Colors Fund or any other entity in particular. Rather, it is about the questionable patterns and practices that have become the norm in the world of child welfare. In using our compelling life traumas and stories to solicit donations, and grow their organizations, but lacking the will or desire to help us when we falter, one can only begin to feel as though some within this delicate space have lost sight of their missions, and the people they set out to help to begin with. Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-culture-of-not-caring-in-child-welfare_us_5a2451f8e4b04dacbc9bd86f [HEAL Note: Whether a child is placed in a residential school or program by government agencies or their own parents, the damage is the same. Children and youth need a real family that is committed to the family. Fix your problems and don't subject youth to unlawful imprisonment and conditions that exacerbate the problems they may be exhibiting.] |
| Report: Students regularly go missing from school for troubled teens Posted: Dec 07, 2017 11:51 AM PST Updated: Dec 07, 2017 5:17 PM PST Students regularly go missing from school for troubled teens The New York Times reports that nearly every day, a teenager is missing from Hawthorne Cedar Knolls. More Videos Team of the Week: Mamaroneck HS girls basketball Car crashes through living room of Spring Valley home Report: Students regularly go missing from school for troubled teens Franken announces resignation from Senate amid allegations School bus plows into Bedford telephone pole Congress seems set to avert weekend government shutdown California wind, and fire danger, hits unprecedented high Westchester/Hudson Valley Sportscast, HAWTHORNE - Mount Pleasant Town Supervisor Carl Fugenzi is joining a growing list of elected officials to call for big changes at Hawthorne Cedar Knolls. The mounting pressure comes after an explosive report in the New York Times that nearly every day, a teenager is missing from the campus. The facility is a rehabilitation center for troubled children. State Sen. Terrence Murphy is introducing legislation that would get rid of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, the group that runs the organization for troubled children. He says the agency has failed these children, failed their families and failed the communities. A spokesperson for the board released a statement saying in part that their “highest priority is to provide our residents a safe and therapeutic community. Hawthorne Cedar Knolls is not a detention center, and unfortunately short, unauthorized departures are a common coping mechanism for traumatized youth, which we work with them to understand and overcome." Murphy says his bill has bipartisan support. He says he hopes it will be debated in the Legislature next year. |
| How Christian Reform Schools Get Away with Brutal Child Abuse ByNile Cappelloillustrated byLia Kantrowitz Dec 5 2017, 10:58pm Thanks to the legacy of a Texas pastor named Lester Roloff—and a glaring lack of oversight from state and local authorities—religious "schools" for troubled teens often operate with impunity. Art by Lia Kantrowitz SHARE TWEET Kimi Cook was 15 years old when she arrived at Lester Roloff’s Rebekah Home for Girls in Corpus Christi, Texas. Eager to end the teenager’s relationship with an older boyfriend, her parents pitched the place as an accelerated boarding school. Cook—who had previously done well on tests despite cutting classes at her San Antonio public school—eventually agreed to a month-long trial period. Within hours of arriving, Cook learned she was no longer allowed to wear jeans, listen to rock music, or use tampons. She would also be required to attend church daily, memorize and chant from the Bible, and scrub her room early each morning. Disobedience was met with strict punishment ranging from revoked snack privileges to receiving “licks” with a wooden paddle, being put in an isolated closet, or being forced to kneel on linoleum for hours on end. When she was allowed phone calls, Cook pleaded with her family to save her from what she remembered describing as a “jail” and “prison camp.” But three months in, she learned that no help was coming. As Cook recalled, a relative “explained to me that by signing the admittance paper, I had signed myself over into the care of the Roloff homes.” By the time Cook started there, in 1983, the Southern Baptist Rebekah Home for Girls had already been the subject of state investigations spanning the previous decade, instigated in part by parents who witnessed a girl being whipped at the facility. In fact, Roloff had already temporarily closed the school—and the other homes he operated in Texas—after being prosecuted by the state on behalf of 16 former Rebekah Home for Girls residents. (Roloff grew even more notorious for exclaiming in court, “Better a pink bottom than a black soul.”) After losing his last Supreme Court appeal in 1978, the Rebekah Home for Girls became the site of the “Christian Alamo,” where religious leaders formed a human chain around the place to defend against attempts to remove girls from Roloff’s care. The issue was eventually “resolved” by Governor Bill Clements, who Roloff himself had campaigned for. With an ally in office—Clements once said the closures amounted to “nitpicking” by his predecessor—Roloff transferred ownership of the homes from Roloff Enterprises to Roloff’s People’s Baptist Church; under this religious auspice, a state court ruled Roloff’s homes could operate without a license. Advertisement Roloff himself died in 1982, but by then he had established a strong tradition of exploiting the religious freedom loophole to shield suspect youth residential facilities from outside scrutiny. Somehow, that same loophole still exists across much of America today. Cook escaped the school she hated when her older brother was killed in a car accident 11 months into her stay. The home was closed again in 1985 following pressure from the state, but reopened yet again in 1999, after Governor George W. Bush introduced religious exemptions for youth residential home regulations. The school operated until 2001, when a supervisor at Rebekah was convicted of unlawful restraint; finally, Texas laws were changed to require licensure for all youth homes—including religious ones. Rebekah closed permanently in 2001, but at least some of its ex-employees helped found the New Beginnings Girls Academy in Missouri. This residence remains in operation despite state investigations into allegations of abuse. (VICE was unable to reach New Beginnings officials in connection with this story.) Though Texas laws were changed amid the Roloff saga, many other state governments around the country lack the legal power to oversee religiously affiliated residential schools. Unlike personal religious exemptions, where an individual might argue that a law requiring, say, medical intervention, vaccination, or anti-discrimination violates his or her religious freedom, these facilities don't need to apply for special treatment. In many states, such exemptions are written directly into the laws meant to regulate residential youth facilities—that is, religious schools are never subject to the rules in the first place. Advertisement “The state passes the law for the regulation of residential facilities, and then they put, within that statute, a religious exemption,” Liz Sepper, a religious liberty expert and law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, told me. “You don’t need to apply, go into court for the exemption. The law never applied." Thus, many states allow religiously affiliated boarding schools to operate without registration, educational standards, background checks, or instructional certifications—even when institutions have long histories of abuse reports alleging Roloff-esque whippings, isolation rooms, and Bible memorization. Preachers from various area churches and supporters of evangelist Lester Roloff, form a barricade around Roloff’s People’s Church near Corpus Christi, Texas, to keep out state officials, June 21, 1979. (AP Photo/Pete Leabo) In 2010, Clayton “Buddy” Maynard’s Heritage Boys Academy in Panama City, Florida, closed following allegations of racial discrimination and severe corporal punishment. When the prosecution lost witnesses in 2011, a criminal case against Maynard was dropped; in 2012, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Maynard was once again housing children at Truth Baptist Church in Panama City. This past May, a GoFoundMe page raised $500 in support of Maynard and the “Maynard Family Children's Home.” Currently, he appears to operate the Truth Baptist Church in Panama City and, according to his Facebook profile, a “Truth for Troubled Youth Ministries.” (VICE was unable to reach Maynard for comment for this story.) The same whack-a-mole pattern of scattershot oversight can be found across much of the country. Bobby Wills’s Bethesda Home for Girls in Mississippi closed in the 1980s following allegations of beatings with wooden boards, with operators moving on to the now closed Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy in Missouri. Alabama’s Reclamation Ranch was raided a decade ago following allegations of torture, yet founder Jack Patterson—who, according to his Facebook page, is a proud disciple of Roloff—continues to run an addiction-focused rehabilitation facility under the same name, now associated with Lighthouse Baptist Church. (Patterson has denied allegations of abuse at his facilities.) Yet another Baptist pastor, Michael Palmer, battled legal oversight over multiple decades and across multiple state and country-wide jurisdictions: In 1991, Palmer closed Victory Christian Academy after the state of California pushed for licensure. Advertisement One former student who attended Victory Christian described extended abuse at the school, including something called the “Get Right Room,” a small space where girls were punished with a version of solitary confinement. “You were brain-washed into thinking the abuse was good because the staff and the Lord loved your soul,” recalled Cherie Rife, now a holistic health practitioner in Irvine, California. Alleging that she was singled out for being a lesbian, Rife pointed to the religious justification that loomed above it all: “[Their] Baptist interpretation was used for fear and control and shaming.” Palmer later helped found Genesis by the Sea, a facility located in Baja California that was closed in 2004 by the Mexican government; though the ensuing investigation asserted that claims of abuse were unsubstantiated, the school never reopened. Instead, Palmer redirected his attention to the Florida Panhandle and yet another residential reform home for girls: Lighthouse of Northwest Florida, which he closed in 2013 following an investigation into allegations of rape at the facility. As Newsweek reported, Restoration Youth Academy in Prichard, Alabama, was yet another home operating under a modern incarnation of the Lester Roloff approach until 2012. The facility remained free from oversight until Charles Kennedy, the now retired captain of the Prichard Police Department, received a phone call from the mother of a boy who said he’d been abused at the facility. When I spoke with Kennedy, he recalled what he found at the home: a naked boy locked in a closet, widespread allegations of physical abuse, severe exercise, and sadistic mind games. Staff had even encouraged a suicidal student to shoot himself with a gun he didn’t know wasn’t loaded, Kennedy said. Advertisement Once the cop uncovered the dark history behind Restoration Youth Academy’s instructor William Knott—that his Bethel Boys Academy in Mississippi had been closed after a federal lawsuit alleging abuse—and obtained written statements from the boys, it took four years and reports to multiple local and statewide agencies for anything to be done. By then, Knott and Pastor David Young had closed Restoration Youth Academy and opened another facility in nearby Mobile County, Solid Rock Ministries. It’s a common move by religious leaders who know law enforcement have no way of monitoring the facilities, tracking their leaders, and compiling abuse allegations across jurisdictions, according to Marc Stern, general counsel at the American Jewish Committee and a leading expert on religious legal advocacy. “There’s a strong political tradition in the United States, for better or for worse, that education is a local matter controlled by local officials, and only extraordinary circumstances justify federal control.” After Solid Rock Ministries was subject to its own allegation of abuse, a 2015 police raid found isolation rooms, deplorable conditions, and signs of corporal punishment at the Mobile, Alabama, facility. Earlier this year, Knott, Young, and counselor Aleshia Moffet were convicted and sentenced to 20 years each on aggravated child abuse charges. It was the only instance I could find where operators of religiously affiliated residential schools wrapped up in abuse allegations actually went to prison. Kennedy has since dedicated his career to using that case as a precedent for nationwide reform; in the years following the prosecution of Knott and his accomplices, Kennedy partnered with Alabama state representative Steve McMillan on HB-440. The bill passed this past May and was signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, on July 29. It’s a rare example of increased government regulation of religion in the Trump era—the new law imposes regulations on residential facilities and does not exclude religious institutions. As Kennedy described it, the war he’s waging here is not against religious freedom, but for basic standards of human rights. “[The facilities] can operate here, and we’re not going to charge [them] a nickel,” he said. The new law requires facilities to alert the county Department of Human Resources upon admittance of new students, conduct background checks on employees, accurately describe programming to parents, avoid restraints or abusive punishments, provide medical care, feed the children sanitary and nutritious meals three times daily, allow residents to practice their own religious beliefs, and more. “We’re just saying that if you take children into your care and custody for more than 24 hours, we should know that they are in a safe place,” Kennedy told me. Kennedy, who views this saga as a “national disgrace,” has set his sights on changing laws in Missouri next, and plans to battle for regulation across the country. Though he faces opposition from those eager to exploit the religious freedom loophole, the pattern of abuse begs the question: How does hiding behind the law to abuse children represent Christian ideals? Actually, plenty of Christian leaders say it doesn’t. “Carefully considered partnerships between government institutions and religious institutions can assist the government in meeting one of its highest duties: protecting children,” Jennifer Hawks, associate general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, told me. “Religious freedom does not require—and should not claim to support—exemptions that harm the state’s duty of protecting children.” Kimi Cook has returned to the site of the Rebekah Home for Girls two times since she lived there more than 30 years ago; most recently, she visited with two of her three children this past September on the tail end of Hurricane Harvey. Along the way, she found a clue into her past: a copy of the 1983–1984 yearbook, covering the period during which Cook lived at Rebekah. Upon locating her photo, she was overcome with emotion: “It was not revulsion, it was not upset, or sad, or angry. It was almost like finding a lost piece of myself,” she said. Today, Cook continues to struggle with the trauma inflicted upon her at Rebekah—but hope comes in the form of support from her family, and, now, a chance at finding long-lost friends listed in that yearbook. She’s one of a growing number of survivors of abusive religious reform schools left to their own devices over the course of a long tradition of official neglect. Organizations like HEAL and Fornits offer online record-keeping of abuse allegations against religious youth homes, resources for parents who might be considering these institutions. Advertisement Perhaps most important, they serve as confirmation for people like Cook that they are not alone. Follow Nile Cappello on Twitter. Source: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbzexd/how-christian-reform-schools-get-away-with-brutal-child-abuse |
| Voucher Schools Championed By Betsy DeVos Can Teach Whatever They Want. Turns Out They Teach Lies. These schools teach creationism, racism and sexism. They’re also taking your tax dollars. By Rebecca Klein 25k 110 PORTLAND, Ore. ― It was late morning in an artsy cafe, the smell of coffee and baked goods sweetening the air, and Ashley Bishop sat at a table, recalling a time when she was taught that most of secular American society was worthy of contempt. Growing up in private evangelical Christian schools, Bishop saw the world in extremes, good and evil, heaven and hell. She was taught that to dance was to sin, that gay people were child molesters and that mental illness was a function of satanic influence. Teachers at her schools talked about slavery as black immigration, and instructors called environmentalists “hippie witches.” Bishop’s family moved around a lot when she was a child, but her family always enrolled her in evangelical schools. So when Bishop left school in 2003 and entered the real world at 17, she felt like she was an alien landing on Planet Earth for the first time. Having been cut off from mainstream society, she felt unequipped to handle the job market and develop secular friendships. Lacking shared cultural and historical references, she spent most of her 20s holed up in her bedroom, suffering from crippling social anxiety. Now, at 31, she has become everything that she was once taught to hate. She shares an apartment with her girlfriend of two years. She sees a therapist and takes medication for depression, a condition born, in part, of her stifling education. Years later, some of the schools Bishop attended are largely the same, but some have changed in a significant way: Unlike when Bishop was a student, parents are not the only ones paying tuition for these fundamentalist religious schools – so are taxpayers. Amanda Lucier for HuffPost Ashley Bishop didn’t find out until after she graduated from Christian schools that she was unprepared for a wider world of education. These schools are among thousands in the United States that participate in private school choice programs, which most often come in the form of state-level voucher or tax credit scholarships. Voucher programs offer publicly funded financial aid to parents for private schools. Tax credit programs usually offer individuals or corporations tax credits if they donate to a scholarship granting organization, which in turn offers private school scholarships based on various criteria, including income. President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have openly championed such programs and have encouraged states to embrace school choice, arguing that voucher programs give parents an alternative to low-performing public schools. Currently 14 states and the District of Columbia have voucher programs, and 17 have tax credit programs. DeVos has made it a top priority to push a federal school choice initiative. Many of the private schools that participate in these state-led programs are run by evangelical Christian churches. They are sometimes unaccredited and can teach a curriculum similar to the one Bishop studied ― all with the help of taxpayer dollars. The textbooks used at all of Bishop’s schools were published by three of the most popular, and most ideologically extreme, Christian textbook companies: Abeka, Bob Jones University Press and Accelerated Christian Education. The ideas in these textbooks often flout widely accepted science and historical fact. But the number of schools using these resources is largely unknown, even in states where they receive support from publicly funded scholarships. No state or federal organization tracks the curriculum being used in private school choice programs. The religious affiliations of schools that participate in these programs are also not always tracked. That means there are thousands of kids receiving an extremist and ultraconservative education at the expense of taxpayers. Several months ago, HuffPost set out to create a database of every private school in the country that receives taxpayer funding. We also tracked the religious affiliation of each school and looked at how many taught from these evangelical Christian textbooks. HuffPost obtained lists of schools that participate in private school choice programs around the country. We searched for the most up-to-date lists on either a state’s education or revenue department’s website. Several states did not keep a list of which schools participate in choice programs. In those instances, we went directly to the individual scholarship granting organizations in each state. Our list totaled nearly 8,000 schools across the 25 of 27 states that offer private school choice along with the District of Columbia. (Two states that do not allow religious schools to participate in private school choice programs were excluded from our analysis.) Then we researched the religious affiliations of each school by scouring each school’s website. If a school did not maintain a website, we emailed school representatives and often followed up with a phone call. Our analysis found that about 75 percent of voucher schools across the country are religious ― usually Christian or Catholic, with about 2 percent identifying as Jewish and 1 percent identifying as Muslim. There were gray areas: At least six schools identified as non-religious but used a curriculum created by the founder of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Since a plurality of schools in these programs (42 percent) are non-Catholic Christian schools, we dove deeply into researching the curriculum of those schools. We searched their websites for information on curriculum sources and sent out emails to school leaders if they did not make their academic plan public. We did not assess Catholic schools, which made up 29 percent of Christian schools, since there is already a large body of research on the outcomes of students who go to these schools. Evangelical Christian schools are newer ― many popped up only a few decades ago – and remain less scrutinized. Indeed, we found many of the non-Catholic Christian schools (32 percent) were using Abeka, Bob Jones or ACE textbooks in at least one subject or grade. We found that Abeka was the most popular textbook source ― used in about 27 percent of non-Catholic Christian schools ― and Accelerated Christian Education was the least popular ― used in about 5 percent of these schools. We could not definitively ascertain the curriculum used by about 2,000 Christian schools, because they did not respond to requests for information. Around 200 Christian schools told us they did not use these three textbook sources. With taxpayers footing the bill for religious private schools, the separation of church and state, a cornerstone of American democracy, becomes a murky line. So how did it come to be that taxpayers are footing the bill for an evangelical education? Most states have little oversight on the curriculum used in schools that participate in private school choice programs. Some states have zero regulations on the topic. Others require private schools to follow the state’s broad-based content standards but specify little else. (Rhode Island’s stipulations appear the most strict: Curricula in private schools must be submitted and largely equivalent to what is taught in public schools.) Additionally, private schools that participate in these programs are not typically subject to the same accountability and transparency rules as public schools, although rules vary on a state-by-state basis. It is difficult to ascertain exactly how many students use taxpayer funds to attend schools with evangelical curricula, but we do know that over 400,000 students nationwide currently attend school using money from a voucher or tax credit program, according to the education reform group EdChoice. Some states are more transparent than others. In Indiana, about 4,240 students received over $16 million in scholarships to attend schools that use the Abeka or Bob Jones curriculum, according to 2016-2017 figures from the Indiana Department of Education. These numbers could soon grow. DeVos is an advocate of school choice and religious education. While she failed in her first attempt to push a federal private school choice program via the Education Department budget, she has repeatedly said she will not stop trying. Joshua Roberts / Reuters Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has pushed for a federal school voucher program and tax funding of religious schools. The prospect of giving kids more access to these schools with public money is deeply upsetting to Bishop, who was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of bullying and corporal punishment she experienced as a child. After leaving high school and getting a taste of the outside world, Bishop fell into a deep depression. When she went to job interviews, she had no idea what to say about the education she had received. What They Learned HuffPost spoke to nearly a dozen former students and teachers at schools that relied on Abeka, Bob Jones and Accelerated Christian Education curricula. Many of these students, who consider themselves no longer religious, reported feeling traumatized by their educational experiences. A number of them communicate with each other via online support groups for survivors of fundamentalist schools, including Bishop. Some say these curriculum sources left them woefully ill-equipped to thrive in a diverse society while instilling in them racist, sexist and intolerant views of the world. Bishop said her fundamentalist education made her wary of people from other religious groups whom her teachers and textbooks had demonized. “Anything that wasn’t Christianity was a strange religion,” said Bishop, who made it a priority to study other religious practices after high school and even spent time with the Hare Krishna. “But even other denominations were evil. Catholicism especially.” Another former student who spoke to HuffPost under the pseudonym Natasha Balzak, was taught at home that all Muslims hate America, she said. Teachers at her Florida school reinforced this idea, telling students to pray for Muslims and other non-believers, like atheists and gay people. “When it comes to hateful ideology and rhetoric, I was taught a lot of things to skew my mind into believing ― I guess you could call it brainwashing,” said Balzak, 27, who is using a pseudonym to protect the identity of family members who are still deeply involved in their church. Balzak recalled that her school, Coral Springs Christian Academy, used a mix of ACE and Abeka materials, but the head of the school said they were not aware of the school ever using ACE and that they currently used only Abeka in lower grades for phonics. The school participates in Florida’s three private-school choice programs and currently enrolls 172 students on these scholarships. It received $554,418 in taxpayer-funded scholarships this year, according to a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education. A HuffPost analysis of Abeka, Bob Jones and ACE textbooks confirms the recollections of these students. These materials inaccurately portray events in Muslim and Catholic history while perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes. The materials speak disparagingly of Native Americans and Native culture. The chart below details some of the inaccurate and biased perspectives in these textbooks compared with the perspective of an academic who studies these issues. See all the schools we could confirm use one of these curriculums in our full dataset. A Bob Jones high school world history textbook portrays Islam as a violent religion and contains a title “Islam and Murder.” In the same textbook, when describing the Catholic Reformation, Catholic leaders are described as failing “to see that the root of their problems was doctrinal error.” When describing the concept of Manifest Destiny, the term used to describe America’s 19th century expansion westward, an ACE textbook referred to the movement essentially as spreading the gospel: “It was considered God’s will that this vastly superior American culture should spread to all corners of the North American continent,” the passage reads. “The benighted Indians would be among the many beneficiaries of God’s provision.” David Brockman, an expert on world religions, was presented with passages from the Bob Jones and ACE textbooks. Most Protestants would likely disagree with the theological and historical narratives portrayed in the books, he said. “The textbook simply distorts history,” wrote Brockman, a non-resident scholar at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, after examining the selections. “And given the biblical command not to bear false witness, I would question whether a distorted history is consistent with Christian teaching.” When Balzak attended a secular college in 2009, it was a shock to the system, she said. In her first environmental science class, she learned about climate change ― a concept she had been taught was a hoax. “When I took my first real science class, a million light bulbs went off,” said Balzak, who had only been taught creationism in school. “Everything finally made sense.” The experience made Balzak feel robbed of a fact-based education. Indeed, Balzak’s former school, Coral Springs Christian Academy, includes a statement of faith in its parent-student handbook, which is posted on its website: “We believe God created the entire universe out of nothing.” The handbook also describes the school’s attitude toward LGBTQ students. It says administrators will reject applicants or expel current students if they are caught “living in, or condoning, or supporting any form of sexual immorality; practicing or promoting a homosexual lifestyle or alternative gender identity.” Coral Springs’ head of school noted that the institution had likely changed a lot since Balzak attended some years ago, although he has worked at the school for only a few years. He said that staff members do not recall the school ever relying significantly on Abeka materials, and says that the student body has become significantly more diverse, “It’s a very different education I’m sure than 20 years ago,” said head of school Joseph Sanelli. But in some ways, Balzak considered herself lucky. She said her childhood wasn’t traumatic, just deeply imperfect. Bishop didn’t have such luck. Some of the schools Bishop attended were worse than others. She faced the greatest difficulty from ages 11 to 13, when she attended Franklin Christian Academy in Georgia. The school appears to no longer be open, according to the Georgia Department of Education list of private schools, and a series of calls to what Bishop said was an affiliated church were not returned. The school consisted of three rooms, Bishop recalled, with most of the school’s 30-something kids spending all day in the same classroom. The school relied on an Accelerated Christian Education curriculum currently used by at least nine private schools in Georgia that are eligible for taxpayer funds. ACE classrooms are uniquely designed. Students sit in cubicle-like offices, with barriers separating their desks. Teachers do not lead students in lessons or discussions. Instead, students spend all day silently sifting through a succession of readings and fill-in-the-blank worksheets. When students have a question, they raise either an American or Christian flag to get the attention of a class supervisor. A 2012 training manual for administrators obtained by HuffPost lists an education degree as a “detriment” for the job. Indeed these supervisors’ lack of qualifications was once the topic of a “Judge Judy” episode about a decade ago. At Bishop’s school, she dealt with intense physical bullying and verbal harassment. When she would complain about the harassment, school authorities told her to ignore it. They sometimes implied she was at fault and needed to get closer to Jesus, she said. The school did not employ professionals trained to deal with mental health issues, she added. As a teenager she went nearly mute and thought about killing herself. “I didn’t want to get out of bed. I did self-harm,” she said, speaking slowly and deliberately over coffee. “I just hated myself and I didn’t know what to do about it.” It was also around that time that Bishop realized she was attracted to other girls. She repressed her feelings for decades, even spending most of her 20s married to a man. An examination of ACE textbooks shows that its materials push strict ideas about gender roles and sexuality. Even now Bishop still sometimes finds herself shrinking in the presence of men, saying that it’s almost like “muscle memory.” Balzak echoes these sentiments, saying that even her female teachers reinforced the idea that women are secondary to men. When describing the 1920s, a high school ACE textbook criticizes women for wearing short skirts and cutting their hair, calling it a violation of Scripture. Before the 1920s, when women were less likely to work outside the home, they “were comfortable to be discreet, chaste, keepers at house, good, obedient to their own husbands,” says the material. School, Bishop said, made her want to give up on education. She spent some time being home-schooled, then at another Georgia school before moving to Roxboro Christian School in North Carolina. After less than two years there ― in which she spent much of her time hiding in the bathroom ― she dropped out and got her GED. Roxboro currently participates in North Carolina’s voucher program, and representatives there confirmed that Bishop was once enrolled. The school also confirmed that they use Abeka, Bob Jones and ACE. Roxboro has received over $8,000 this year in voucher program and currently enrolls four scholarship recipients, per a report from the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. Two other schools Bishop attended are also eligible to receive monetary assistance via school voucher or tax credit programs. Bishop attended Beaufort Christian School in South Carolina and Neuse Christian Academy in North Carolina as a child. Beaufort Christian Academy uses materials from Abeka and ACE, per its website. A representative from the school confirmed that Bishop was once enrolled. Neuse Christian Academy uses materials from Abeka and Bob Jones University, and it received $37,368 in scholarship money for 18 students, per the North Carolina Education Assistance Authority. The school was not able to confirm Bishop’s enrollment because it does not still have its records from that time. How Did These Textbooks Come To Be? Abeka, Bob Jones University Press and Accelerated Christian Education started selling textbooks in the early 1970s, a few decades before Wisconsin enacted the nation’s first voucher program. At the time, enrollment in fundamentalist Christian schools was booming. For one, recent Supreme Court decisions had banned school Bible readings and official school prayer. Groups of evangelical Protestants were alarmed. The founders of these textbook companies dedicated their lives to pushing fundamentalist viewpoints. Abeka leaders Arlin and Beka Horton also founded Pensacola Christian College in Florida, which outlaws dancing and other “satanic practices.” They also founded Pensacola Christian Academy, a K-12 school that currently receives public funding for student scholarships via Florida’s tax credit program. Bob Jones University Press is affiliated with Bob Jones University, which famously lost its tax-exempt status in 1983 after banning interracial dating, a policy it didn’t reverse until 2000. Accelerated Christian Education was founded by Donald Howard, a Texas pastor. In his 1988 book, “World Awakening,” Howard describes AIDS as a plague sent down by God intended to punish gay people and other idol worshippers, like “feminists, prochoice, and Planned Parenthood advocates.” ACE, Abeka and Bob Jones University Press leaders have largely similar educational philosophies, with a few subtle differences. The leaders of all three companies subscribe to an authoritarian vision of education in which students are taught not to question their elders. While ACE’s curriculum barely involves a teacher, Abeka’s promotes the educator as an absolute authority, per research from Binghamton University professor Adam Laats. They all have come under fire for providing children with an inadequate education. Amanda Lucier for HuffPost Ashley Bishop says the evangelical Christian schools’ curricula kept her from going in directions she might have been interested in. Eleven separate reviews of the ACE program by experts and academics have repudiated the curriculum, according to research conducted by Jonny Scaramanga at University College London. A representative of ACE responded to one of these reviews from 1987. “Our material is not written with conventional viewpoints in mind. We do not believe that education should be nondirective or speculative, or that the final interpretation of facts and events should be left up to immature inexperienced minds as mainline secular curricula do,” wrote a former ACE vice president at the time. The University of California system refuses to accept certain high school courses that rely on BJU and Abeka materials for credit. The Association of Christian Schools International sued the University of California System over this issue in 2005. A judge eventually ruled in favor of the UC System. Still, American taxpayers continue to indirectly prop up these curricula through voucher programs. It is unclear how the proliferation of private school choice programs has affected the bottom line for these textbook companies. Representatives of Bob Jones University Press did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Representatives of ACE did not respond to requests for comment either, however its website claims they are in 6,000 schools around the globe, although a number of experts told HuffPost that they are skeptical of this number. A spokesperson for Abeka noted that, while the company is aware its materials are used in private schools that receive public funding, “Abeka does not advocate or encourage the use of state or federal funding for private, Christian schools.” “We recognize that academic scholars have differing opinions on historical/scientific content and that this frequently occurs in both public and private educational institutions as reported in the media. We are confident that our content is accurate, age appropriate, and academically rigorous,” wrote Brent Phillips, assistant to the president for business affairs, via email. Educators Sound Off Educators who use or are familiar with these resources told HuffPost that not all schools who use them have a fundamentalist approach. Indeed, not all schools who use these curricula are deeply religious, and they are used in a range of Christian schools. They emphasize that the quality of these publishers’ resources differ based on subject and grade level. Bishop said that, while her “education did not equip me to get the most basic of jobs,” she praised the rigor of Abeka and Bob Jones vocabulary and reading comprehension lessons. (Below, a passage on slavery from an Accelerated Christian Education textbook) Dave Moore, executive director of Pittsburgh Urban Christian School in Pennsylvania, said that he does not use any materials provided by these sources but that “Abeka has excellent elementary grammar resources.” Pittsburgh Urban Christian receives scholarship money through Pennsylvania’s school tax credit program. “I would still use it if we didn’t already develop our own curriculum. It does such a good job of it,” said Moore of Abeka’s elementary phonics and math resources. If his school decided to use Abeka materials, he would direct teachers to be on alert for propaganda, he said. “We do the same thing with secular textbooks,” Moore said. Some educators told HuffPost they are happy with the education students receive with these resources. Stephen Lindahl, assistant director of Calumet Christian School in Griffith, Indiana, disagreed with characterizations of Abeka and Bob Jones University Press as pushing a far-right worldview. His school uses Abeka materials almost exclusively for elementary school and then a mix of Abeka and Bob Jones in some later grades. “Abeka and Bob Jones and other biblically based curriculum try to approach academics from a biblical standpoint and from a moral, ethical view, which does not necessarily push any agenda outside of an understanding of God and who Christ is,” Lindahl said. He noted that secular textbooks, too, often come with a specific point of view. HuffPost also reached out to multiple national school-choice advocacy groups for their responses on our findings. None of them responded, even sometimes with weeks’ notice. However, professors who have studied the curricula say they are dangerous tools for schools to wield. “I want parents to know their children might be coming home with a book that looks like an ordinary textbook but the messages are not what people would ordinarily learn,” said Kathleen Wellman, a professor of history at Southern Methodist University who is working on a book about these publications. “Many universities don’t require history education, so for many Americans this will be their last exposure to history. And many students say they didn’t realize at the time how thoroughly indoctrinated they were being.” Sometimes Bishop wonders what her life would have been like had she not attended evangelical schools. She tried taking online university courses once but dropped out after having trouble balancing academics with her job. She still thinks about trying college again from time to time but worries about the financial feasibility. (Below, a passage on evolution from an Accelerated Christian Education textbook) Growing up, her schools had never offered outlets for her interest in art or dance ― things that she maybe would have wanted to explore. The only thing she ever remembers wanting to do was perform, a far cry from her current job, working in the produce department of a grocery store. The only career paths presented to her revolved around the church. “It would be kind of different if I was at a school that allowed me to head in a direction I wanted to go,” said Bishop, who lights up when talking about the dance classes she has taken as an adult. “I didn’t really get that chance.” Kaeli Subberwal contributed to this report. Data and graphics by Alissa Scheller. Animation by Isabella Carapella. This is the first piece in a HuffPost investigation on the policies and curriculum of schools that participate in private school choice programs. Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/school-voucher-evangelical-education-betsy-devos_us_5a021962e4b04e96f0c6093c |
| Metro Detroit adults under court guardianship put in unlicensed group homes Court appointed guardians using unregulated homes Heather Catallo 11:15 PM, Dec 6, 2017 11:31 PM, Dec 6, 2017 Share Article As part of our year-long investigation into Michigan’s probate courts, the 7 Investigators have uncovered an alarming practice: court appointed guardians putting the people they’re supposed to be caring for into unlicensed group homes. Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) - As part of our year-long investigation into Michigan’s probate courts, the 7 Investigators have uncovered an alarming practice: court appointed guardians putting the people they’re supposed to be caring for into unlicensed group homes. Mom said she was drugged, abused under Michigan probate guardianship While it’s not illegal for certain group homes in Michigan to operate without a license, when you’re dealing with someone who’s considered legally incapacitated, experts say most people in these situations do require care from a licensed facility. “They took her dignity from her, they took everything from her,” said Peter Klavinger. Klavinger says his grandmother, 80-year-old Mary Helen Plummer, had lived on her own for years. But after a family friend told the Oakland County Probate Court that Plummer was having memory loss, court records show a Judge appointed a Southfield attorney as a co-guardian. Charlene Glover-Hogan is a Public Administrator, a lawyer appointed by Michigan’s Attorney General to handle probate estates after someone dies. But several judges in metro Detroit like to appoint Public Administrators as professional guardians for adults who are considered “legally incapacitated.” “It’s awful,” said Klavinger. Klavinger says he was outraged when Glover-Hogan moved Plummer into an unlicensed group home in Warren -- a home that was operating illegally as an Adult Foster Care facility. “It smelled, she didn’t look like her hair was brushed. She had on the same clothes every day, it was for a week,” said Klavinger. Desperate, Plummer’s family hired an attorney. “He called Glover-Hogan, and said did you visit? She said no. He said, well you’re supposed to – and I can name several violations right off the top,” said Klavinger. In Michigan, a group home must be licensed if the owner receives compensation for providing personal care, supervision, and protection, in addition to room and board to people who are mentally ill or disabled. Clarisse Carter runs Due Season Residential Services LLC, the unlicensed group home in Warren. State investigators from the Bureau of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs inspected the home in October and found that Carter was violating the law. Carter applied for a license 11 months ago, but refused to answer our questions about why she was operating the home before being approved by the state. The guardian later moved Plummer to a licensed facility, but according to state records, Glover-Hogan still has one ward inside the Warren group home. “So you have a document that you want to show me indicating that it’s unlicensed,” asked Glover-Hogan. During an interview Tuesday, 7 Investigator Heather Catallo shared the Special Investigation Record from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, which oversees Adult Foster Care Facilities. The report, which is public record, tells Clarisse Carter that she has been providing adult foster care, and says “any person who provides foster care for 24 hours a day, 5 or more days a week, for 2 or more consecutive weeks for compensation without a license is in violation of [Public] Act 218.” “I don’t have anything indicating that that was the case,” said Glover-Hogan. Glover-Hogan says based on the level of care required in Plummer’s case, she didn’t think that a licensed home was needed. “My goal, is make sure they have a roof over their head, they have heat, they have electricity, they have water and they have food,” said Glover-Hogan. “We all serve as public servants – it’s not an easy job.” Glover-Hogan said going forward, she will do more research, and she said often when she initially places wards, she does not have access to any of their funds yet, which can make placement extremely difficult. “I do the best I can with what I have,” said Glover-Hogan. “An individual that’s incapacitated that needs a higher level of service, the likelihood is that that type of facility would require a license,” said Larry Horvath, the Director of Michigan’s Bureau of Community and Health Systems. The Bureau supervises the state’s 4200 licensed group homes. “We would strongly try to encourage the courts and educate the courts on that, to make sure that those guardians and placing agencies are placing them in a proper setting,” said Horvath. The owner of the group home would not return our phone calls to comment on this story. After a legal challenge this fall, Mrs. Plummer’s son and cousin are now her guardians, and she is now living at home with relatives. If you know of a group home that you believe should be licensed, the state wants to hear from you. If you prefer to contact the state via mail, please click here. If you want to see if a certain group home is licensed, please click here. If you have a story for Heather Catallo, please email her at [email protected] or call 248-827-4473. Source: https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-news/investigations/metro-detroit-adults-under-court-guardianship-put-in-unlicensed-group-homes |
| Now-shuttered Millstone youth group home had several violations Steph Solis, @stephmsolis Published 5:01 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2017 | Updated 10:22 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2017 CLOSE A group home, run by the New Jersey Mentor group, had multiple violations for months before closing for an unrelated reason. Steph Solis/Wochit MILLSTONE - The Stillhouse Road group home for at-risk boys, run by the private, taxpayer-funded New Jersey Mentor company, became controversial just months after it opened in this sleepy township in November 2016. Following a series of burglaries, neighbors and town officials complained about increased crime and lack of communication with New Jersey Mentor's managers, ultimately pressuring the for-profit group home agency and the state Department of Children and Families to shut it down last month. What neighbors didn’t know when they aired their complaints is that the group home had operated for months under a cloud of violations identified by state inspectors. They ranged from minor infractions such as open food in the kitchen to staff members working alone with the young residents before getting their background check clearances and children receiving psychotropic medication before giving written consent, according to an Asbury Park Press analysis of inspection records obtained through public record requests to the Department of Children and Families. "All of this points to what I was saying in the (October) town meeting, what does it take for one of these group homes to be shut down?" asked Fiore Masci, deputy mayor of Millstone. "These organizations are taking taxpayers' money to provide a service, and those services can be and should be rendered. If they're not rendered appropriately, we need to find services that will." More: Lakewood housing czar makes $469,000 despite federal battle, conviction More: Howell homeless camp residents thankful for donations, each other The Department of Children and Families did not respond to questions about how the state responds to multiple violations at group homes; nor did the department respond to any questions regarding individual violations. Neither the department nor New Jersey Mentor elaborated on how much the company is paid for running a group home. The state Department of Children and Families and New Jersey Mentor agreed to close the group home after a town hall meeting in October where Millstone residents questioned the company's practices. Neighbors complained for months about slack supervision and the boys' alleged behavior outside the group home and level of supervision, following a string of burglaries in July that were tied to two suspects living in the Stillhouse Road home. The complaints came to a head after a second string of burglaries Oct. 5 in which stolen items were lit on fire with an accelerant in the woods near the group home. The staff member on call didn't report the boys missing that night and was fired, New Jersey Mentor supervisors said. "It's concerning that there's kids out there in the middle of the night," said Tara Katzman, a mother of four who was burglarized in the October incident. She eventually learned her family's laptop had been set on fire in the woods. New Jersey Mentor supervisors and state officials declined to release personal information about the at-risk boys living in the Stillhouse Road group home because of privacy laws protecting the children. But inspection records offer a glimpse into the group home. Have you had experiences with group homes in New Jersey? Contact reporter Steph Solis at [email protected]. Buy Photo The group home operated by Mentor Group in Millstone Township. (Photo: Doug Hood) Multiple violations The Stillhouse Road property was one of 18 group homes run by New Jersey Mentor. According to inspection records on the property, the group home housed up to five boys at a time and was required to have at least two staff members in the home to watch the boys. Joanne Kirk, executive director of New Jersey Mentor, said the group homes within the state offer art, dance and other forms of therapy, individual and family counseling, volunteer outings and other resources. At the Stillhouse Road property, state inspectors between May 24 and 26 reported nine violations related to programming and five related to upkeep and safety. These are among the most severe: Staff members restrained youth without documenting it. State regulations require that staff members report all instances involving physical restraint in incident reports. Staff members were working alone with residents before their criminal background checks and child abuse registry checks were on file. Staff members administered residents psychotropic medication before getting written consent. Additionally, staff members documented daily side effects of psychotropic medication on a child when that child wasn't in the program. The state investigated a report from March 30 suggesting a staff member "engaged in an inappropriate physical interaction with a resident." The inspection did not elaborate on the nature of the incident other than to say the staff member was re-trained. More: Millstone man's $900K pot operation busted, prosecutor says Photos: Millstone man makes the ultimate Halloween display The Department of Children and Family's Office of Licensing inspects group home at least once every other year and often conducts an unannounced inspection once or twice, but follow-ups can occur days after an initial inspection. A re-inspection conducted fourth months later at the group home shows that some violations remained unresolved, including the issues with documenting the use of physical restraint. The inspector reported two additional violations: missing signatures on medication logs and missing proof that a resident received medications to treat an infection. When asked about the violations, Kirk said in a statement, "In most instances, including with regard to background checks, the problems raised in the licensing reports can be tied to weaknesses in record keeping. We have recently expanded our HR capacity and are reviewing our processes and procedures to ensure a more seamless hiring process and full compliance with all regulatory standards." State inspectors may work with group homes to give them time to correct certain problems before conducting a re-inspection or directing other officials to step in, said Mary Coogan, vice president of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with government officials to improve child welfare. Coogan did not comment on individual inspections, but she said some infractions such as missing background checks or lack of consent for medications warrant more attention than others related to cleanliness or paperwork. "It makes sense to give a program or agency time to take corrective action regarding licensing violations that pertain to record-keeping or maybe staff training or programmatic issues," she said. "Violations that would raise a safety concern, from my perspective, require more immediate action." Earnest Landante, a spokesmen for the Department of Children and Families, confirmed that the department and New Jersey Mentor agreed to close the home after all the children were transferred. He did not respond to followup inquires about the inspection records. 'It's a failing business' Dozens of residents packed the Millstone meetingroom one night in October for three hours, pressing New Jersey Mentor supervisors with questions and complaints. Residents questioned the agency's supervisors about the children's background and the treatment they receive. Several in the town of 10,000 said they used to leave their front doors open and their cars unlocked; now they lock everything and have home surveillance systems installed. While some neighbors blamed the children, most residents shifted focus to the managers. They claimed New Jersey Mentor supervisors weren't helping the boys, integrating them into the community or disciplining them when they acted out. "This is a business, and it's a failing business because these kids are being failed," resident Anthony Italiano said at the town hall meeting in October, adding "we care about those kids and we care about our kids in the community. It is failing." During the meeting, Italiano and Katzman, one of the burglary victims, asked several questions on behalf of the community: Do the kids get bed checks? Were the homes subject to any municipal inspections? How do employees handle incidents involving youth? A little more than a week after the meeting, town officials announced the group home was closing. “This is a business, and it's a failing business because these kids are being failed.” Anthony Italiano, Millstone resident Councilwoman Nancy Grbelja said she contacted Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, and they are discussing legislation to bar group homes from small towns like Millstone that don't have municipal police departments. One major problem, she said, is group homes can open without notifying municipalities. They don't face municipal inspections because they are licensed by the state and zoned as private residences. "I had said to him at this particular point we really needed something that was going to allow a municipality to allow to put some kind of control on these group homes," she said. Kirk said New Jersey Mentor's properties are audited regularly by routine and unannounced inspections like any other group home. Despite the closure of the Stillhouse Road property, she said the agency helped children make progress in their treatment and return home, "which was our collective goal." She added: “We welcome any policy discussion that is designed to ensure the well-being of the children we serve. That said, we believe that DCF does an excellent job regulating and monitoring their contracts with all providers." Steph Solis: @stephmsolis; 732-403-0074; [email protected]. Source: http://www.app.com/story/news/local/western-monmouth-county/millstone-township/2017/12/08/millstone-new-jersey-mentor-group-home-violations/822085001/ |
| Inspection records for group homes are not easy to come by December 08, 2017 06:54 PM The family of the young man who died in a state-regulated group home in Rochester Wednesday night says they're working with Rochester police. Police are trying to find out how and why Luis Minllety died. If families try to find inspection reports on the home their loved ones are in, it's nearly impossible. Advertisement – Content Continues Below If you're a parent looking at day cares, it takes some effort but you can find details on every inspection the day care got. If you're a parent looking for a group home for a child with developmental disabilities, you really can't. Take the group home that Luis Minillety died in. It's run by the Ibero American Action League. When I asked the state Office of People with Developmental Disabilities -- or OPWDD -- to look at the group home's inspection reports, the office directed me to a website. It tells me that the provider -- Ibero -- has a five star ranking. And when it comes to whether the staff is "competent to meet the safety needs of individuals" it gives Ibero perfect scores. It says there were nine reviews, but it doesn't say when those reviews happened, what the inspectors found and if any violations got corrected. "I've been fighting for literally close to ten years to get proper inspections," says Michael Carey, Jonathan Carey Foundation. Ten years ago, Michael Carey's son Jonathan was killed in a state-regulated group home near Albany. He now runs the Jonathan Carey Foundation and advocates for families. In his experience, he says group homes are rarely inspected. He adds, "And usually there's a phone call in advanced to say we're coming in in a few weeks, get your house in order." Brean: "As an advocate for people who are in these group homes and their families you believe that families ought to be able to research and read the inspection reports." Michael Carey: "Exactly." Again, Ibero runs two group homes. It has a five star ranking and according to the state, when it comes to safety for individuals, it has a 100 percent rating. I asked Ibero if they could tell me the last time their group homes were inspected and how often it happens. Ibero says it can get me that information next week. OPWDD's statement "The safety and well-being of people with developmental disabilities is our number one priority. OPWDD providers are required to follow a robust set of regulations and compliance is monitored on a regular basis through site visits that evaluate program quality. Providers must correct identified deficiencies and sanctions can result from failure to correct identified problems. OPWDD makes available provider survey results upon request. Provider agency ratings are also available on the OPWDD Website." Ibero statement "It continues to be a very difficult time for staff as we try to come to terms with the death of Luis Minllety. Luis came to Ibero when he was 13-years-old and was considered family. As an agency that places a strong focus on creating a supportive and nurturing environment for everyone, this is a personal loss for us. We are providing grief counselors at this time while continuing to cooperate fully with investigators." Source: http://www.whec.com/news/group-homes-new-york-inspections-records/4700792/ |
| Province ignored whistleblowers who warned about child abuse at its training schools | Toronto Star Province ignored whistleblowers who warned about child abuse at its training schools An ongoing Star investigation of alleged physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the schools for troubled youth between the 1960s and the 1980s found that the province was warned as early as 1972. By Kenyon WallaceNews reporter Fri., Dec. 8, 2017 In late 1972, Ontario probation officer William Brewer started hearing stories from young people in his care about organized, staff-condoned fighting amongst students in provincial schools for troubled youth. Shocked by what he was hearing about what allegedly went on inside these “training schools” — residential institutions for troubled children operated by the province — Brewer wrote to his superiors at the Ministry of Correctional Services. Nothing happened. The following year, Brewer told several Family Court judges about the allegations of brutality, which by then had increased and had also begun to come from fellow probation workers. He told the judges he believed training schools were “not fit places to send our children.” Again, nothing happened. Article Continued Below By 1974, the 38-year-old Brewer’s continued insistence on raising his concerns in court were becoming too uncomfortable for the provincial government, so it ordered him to stop talking, suspended him, and held a secret discipline hearing. An ongoing Star investigation of alleged physical, sexual and emotional abuse at training schools between the 1960s and the 1980s found that Brewer was one of two officials to warn the province of brutal and sadistic treatment at the hands of staff — warnings the province appears to have ignored. The Star’s investigation also found that the province has paid out 220 settlements to victims of historical abuse at training schools. The payouts ranged from several thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and victims were made to sign confidentiality agreements — “gag orders” as some survivors call them — preventing them from discussing their settlements. READ MORE: They say they suffered ‘cruel and sadistic’ abuse as kids at Ontario training schools — and the province paid them to keep quiet Several former training school residents who settled with the province chose to break their silence to tell the Star their stories and demand a public acknowledgment of the abuse. In interviews and statements of claim filed with court they have recounted being subjected to a range of shocking abuse at the hands of teachers and staff, including sodomy, forced oral sex, fondling and beatings. Children sent to these schools — some as young as eight — need not have committed any crimes. Parents or guardians could apply to the family court to have children they were “unable to control” sent to training school. These children were commonly deemed “unmanageable” or “incorrigible.” From the 1960s to the 1980s, the province operated about a dozen such schools in places such as Simcoe, Bowmanville and Cobourg. It was at one school in Hagersville that probation officer Brewer heard from a staff member boasting about a broom closet at the school being the place used to brutalize misbehaving children. Information about Brewer’s decision to go public with his concerns comes from documents related to his hearing at the Public Service Grievance Board, an independent tribunal for employment disputes in the Ontario public service, and media reports at the time. Fearing that his concerns were repeatedly falling on deaf ears, Brewer went to the media, appearing on a City-TV talk show in Sept. 1974 to discuss publicly what he had heard. It was career suicide. The ministry convened a closed discipline hearing for Brewer over several months and fired him. Speaking to the media without permission was one of the reasons the Ministry of Correctional Services cited in its dismissal of Brewer in April 1975. 'A lot of questions I raised about training schools have gone unanswered' William Brewer Former Ontario probation officer His dismissal letter, written by then-deputy minister of correctional services Glenn R. Thompson, cited Brewer’s “generalized negative statements in court regarding training school programs,” “total disregard of the ministry’s written policy regarding interviews with the news media” and his “violation of the oath of office and secrecy in this respect.” Thompson also cited Brewer’s “refusal to return probation files pertaining to various individual clients” and noted that Brewer’s maintenance of administrative records was “unsatisfactory,” and that Brewer was previously reprimanded for “failing to follow instructions.” “I am particularly disturbed by the position you have taken never to recommend a probationer for admission to the training schools system, without consideration of the appropriateness of this resource for specific individuals,” Thompson wrote in documents obtained by the Star. When reached by the Star recently, Thompson said he had “no recollection” of the Brewer case. Brewer appealed his dismissal to the Public Service Grievance Board, and it too held a private hearing. The board then denied Brewer’s appeal. “I still think it is unfair, and a lot of questions I raised about training schools have gone unanswered,” Brewer told the Star on July 31, 1975, the day he lost his appeal. “I’ll continue to try to substantiate my allegations even though I’m not part of the Ministry of Correctional Services. There is a lot more to this than just the management-employee question.” After waging his losing battle, Brewer, a former officer in the American navy, moved back to the United States. He died in 2015. One observer of Brewer’s ordeal was inspired to write about what he witnessed while working in a training school. Don Weitz, a former consulting psychologist at Pine Ridge Training School in Bowmanville, told the Star in a recent interview that he was “appalled” by the mental suffering he was witnessing in children sent to solitary confinement cells — usually concrete-lined rooms about two metres by three metres — when he arrived at the school in 1968. A solitary confinement cell at the now-derelict Pine Ridge Training School where children as young as 8 were once sent as a punishment. The concrete-lined cell was known as "the digger," as the only way to possibly escape would be to dig your way out, students and staff used to say. (Randy Risling) Back then, solitary confinement was known as “the digger,” as the only way to possibly escape would be to dig your way out, students and staff used to say. The official terms for solitary confinement were “segregation” or “detention.” “These kids were eight, nine or 10 years old, not even in their teens. It was child abuse,” Weitz, now 86, said during an interview at his Yonge and Eglinton apartment. 'These kids were eight, nine or 10 years old, not even in their teens. It was child abuse' Don Weitz Former consulting psychologist at Pine Ridge Training School in Bowmanville Weitz, whose job entailed providing counseling to young people shortly after they arrived in the training school system, said students were “clearly traumatized” by their experience in the digger. He recounted the case of one student, known as “Charlie,” who was sent to the digger at Pine Ridge in 1968 while exhibiting suicidal behaviour. Weitz recalled finding Charlie curled up under his bed in the digger, refusing to speak or even acknowledge the presence of others. Weitz and another staff member wrote a letter to the school’s superintendent strongly urging Charlie’s removal from Pine Ridge so that the boy could receive proper psychiatric treatment. “He belonged in an emotionally secure residential place for children,” said Weitz, who describes himself as an anti-psychiatry and a social justice activist. His letter received no reply and Charlie was kept in the digger for another three days, Weitz says. “After I saw Charlie and what the superintendant…failed to do to protect him, I said what kind of a place is this? Why am I working in a place that doesn’t protect kids?” he said. Shocked by what he was witnessing, Weitz resigned after a year and a half. But before he left, he surreptitiously copied out the school’s detention logbook for the years 1965 through 1968. When William Brewer went public with his allegations of mistreatment in provincially run training schools, Weitz decided to break his own silence. He pitched and wrote an article about what he discovered at Pine Ridge for Toronto Life magazine in 1976. Don Weitz, a former consulting psychologist at Pine Ridge Training School in Bowmanville, says he was "appalled" by the mental suffering he witnessed in children sent to solitary confinement cells. (Randy Risling) “He broke his silence and made an official complaint, so I said the least I can do is write something to expose the digger experience, which I consider a form of torture of children,” said Weitz. His article revealed that the records he had copied out showed students were punished with solitary confinement for the pettiest of transgressions: going AWOL, smoking, fooling around in church, drawing dirty pictures, and tampering with a window, to name just a few. Kids exhibiting suicidal tendencies were also sent to the digger. The logs also recorded the length of time wards spent in solitary. In 1967, for example, an average of 53 boys were locked up each month, for an average of one-and-a-half days. As far as Weitz knows, nothing came of the article, which appeared in May 1976. The province continued to send children to Pine Ridge for another three years before finally closing it in 1979. Weitz still harbours anger towards the training school system. “These kids were abused, dammit, and the government didn’t protect them.” By the mid-1980s, the province phased out training schools as an increasing number of troubled youth transitioned to alternative forms of treatment, such as group homes. Some training schools, such as Brookside in Cobourg and the Cecil Facer School in Sudbury, were converted to youth detention centres following the passing of the federal Young Offenders Act in 1984. Some training schools, such as Brookside in Cobourg, above, were converted to youth detention centres following the passing of the federal Young Offenders Act in 1984. (Randy Risling) Historically, the government has in many cases publicly acknowledged abuse at provincially-run institutions only as a result of police investigations, class-action lawsuits or media reports. In 2004, for example, then-premier Dalton McGuinty formally apologized to former residents of two Ontario training schools affiliated with the Roman Catholic church, St. Joseph’s in Alfred, Ont., east of Ottawa, and St. John’s in Uxbridge. The apology came following settlement and benefit payouts to more than 1,000 victims and a massive police investigation that led to hundreds of sex-abuse charges and the conviction of more than two dozen Christian brothers. In 2013, following a $35-million class action against the province, Premier Kathleen Wynne apologized in the legislature for abuse suffered by developmentally disabled residents of the now-closed Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia, Ont. Kenyon Wallace can be reached at [email protected] or 416-869-4734 Do you want to help shape the Toronto Star's future? Join our team of readers who are passionate about journalism and share your views. Sign up Source: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/12/08/province-ignored-whistleblowers-who-warned-about-child-abuse-at-its-training-schools.html |
| Girl sexually assaulted while under care of Minnesota child treatment center An employee at Heartland Girls' Ranch was disqualified for 'serious maltreatment.' By Chris Serres Star Tribune December 11, 2017 — 5:13pm Roberta Opheim, the state ombudsman for mental health and developmental disabilities, said a "cascade of miscommunications" led to the sexual assault of a young girl at a child treatment center in Benson. A girl being treated for abuse at a children's facility in west-central Minnesota was sexually assaulted by an older adult after being allowed to leave without adequate supervision, according to a state investigative report released Monday. Staff at the treatment center, Heartland Girls' Ranch of Benson, allowed the girl to go on two unsupervised trips into the community without properly notifying her county case managers and guardians. On the second outing, the girl disappeared for three days and was later found by police in Iowa, with evidence of sexual assault and with bruising on her neck, "as though she had been choked," the report said. The staff member responsible for communicating with the girl's guardians and case managers in Wright County was cited for seriously endangering the girl's health, and has been disqualified from having direct contact with vulnerable persons receiving services from state social service agencies. Heartland Girls' Ranch is a working horse ranch that serves girls ages 12 to 17 who have been victims of sexual exploitation, including human trafficking. Since the assault, Heartland has completed an administrative review and has increased communication between the facility and the residents' treatment team members. The girl, whose identity was not released, was admitted to the facility in July and had a history of "acting out on social media and engaging in risky behavior by talking to older [people] online," according to the state report. She also had a history of being sexually abused, as well as running away from home and meeting with strangers, the report said. Because of her troubled past, the girl's guardians, who were also her county case workers, were required to be included in all decisions involving her supervision and care. However, this did not happen. In September, a staff person arranged an unsupervised home visit for the girl without notifying her guardians. During this visit, the girl used a cellphone to contact a much older adult in the community, state investigators found. Staff failed to notify the girl's guardians of this unauthorized contact and did not place any further restrictions on her home visits, state investigators found. Less than a week after this incident, the girl was allowed to go on another unsupervised home visit -- and again, her guardians were not notified. This time, the girl ran away from the home with the older adult, who was later apprehended by police in Iowa when his car ran out of gas, state investigators found. The girl "had been sexually assaulted and had bruising on her neck consistent with being choked," state investigators found. The Wright County case managers told state investigators they never would have approved of the second home visit had they known about the girl's cellphone use and contact with the adult during the initial trip. "There was a cascade of miscommunications here," said Roberta Opheim, state ombudsman for mental health and developmental disabilities. "Each person involved in this girl's treatment appeared to assume that the other was being notified, which led to this tragedy." The assault marks the latest in a string of cases involving the maltreatment of girls at state-licensed children treatment centers across the state. In December 2015, a 25-year-old caregiver at Nexus Glen Lake, a 12-bed facility in Minnetonka, sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in her bedroom at the facility, according to a state report. And last year, A 15-year-old girl who ran away from an Itasca County mental health treatment center was sexually abused by an adult counselor who allegedly harbored the girl in her home. The girl was missing for nearly 2 ½ months before Grand Rapids police discovered her in the garage of her counselor. There are about 120 state-licensed residential facilities across Minnesota that provide mental health counseling, drug treatment and other services for troubled children and adolescents. Mental health advocates say children placed in such facilities are particularly vulnerable to maltreatment because they often have long histories of trauma and abuse, and arrive seeking attention and guidance from adult caregivers. [email protected] 612-673-4308 chrisserres Source: http://www.startribune.com/girl-sexually-assaulted-while-under-care-of-minnesota-child-treatment-center/463457323/ |
| Mayor: Last boy removed from group home in Millstone Matthew Sockol, Staff Writer Dec 12, 2017 Updated 2 min ago 1 Facebook Twitter Email Facebook Twitter Email Print Save MILLSTONE – All of the juvenile residents of a group home on Stillhouse Road have been relocated to residences outside of the township as part of a process that will close the group home and see it revert to a single-family residence. On Dec. 6, Millstone Township Mayor Michael Kuczinski announced that the juveniles had all been removed from the home. The removal of the juveniles follows the announcement that the group home’s contract to operate with the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services will be terminated. State officials terminated the group home’s contract after juvenile residents of the group home were arrested and charged with burglarizing unlocked vehicles in the township in July and again in October. Group homes are operated by a third party under authority from the state. The Stillhouse Road group home was operated by New Jersey Mentor, which also operates two other group homes in Millstone. The group homes serve juveniles who have complex trauma, such as family fragmentation, abuse and/or neglect, and other issues. The group home on Stillhouse Road, which was established in December 2016, was serving young men between the ages of 14 and 17. Residents raised concerns about the group home in July after two young men left the house and were subsequently charged with burglary and theft for allegedly stealing items from unlocked vehicles in the community. In response to the incidents, representatives of New Jersey Mentor said they would upgrade security procedures at the residence with the intent of preventing future incidents from occurring. On Oct. 8, three juveniles were charged with burglary and theft after they left the group home and allegedly stole items from unlocked vehicles. The New Jersey State Police, which covers Millstone, did not confirm if the juveniles in the October incident were the same as in the July incident, but did confirm that two of the juveniles involved in the October incident had previously been charged with burglary and theft. The October thefts prompted significant objections regarding the group home from residents who said they were concerned for their own safety and the safety of the juveniles. Many residents said they do not believe Millstone is a suitable location for group homes because the community does not have a municipal police force, fire hydrants or street lights. On Oct. 26, Kuczinski announced the closing of the group home on Stillhouse Road. According to Kuczinski, representatives of the Department of Children and Family Services rejected assertions that juveniles with behavioral health needs are unsuited for a particular community, that the juveniles are predisposed to criminal conduct and that their presence is a detriment to the community. However, the department’s representatives did believe the incidents harmed the homeowner’s relationship with the community and created an environment that was detrimental to the group home’s treatment mission and to the residents of the community. With all of the juveniles having now been moved to other homes, Kuczinski said the former group home is in the process of vacating its license. He said he was informed that New Jersey Mentor has the right to appeal the state’s decision, but he said state officials are not expecting an appeal. After the program is officially closed, the property on Stillhouse Road will be sold as a residence that will be regulated by existing township rules and ordinances, according to Kuczinski. The mayor said the two other group homes in Millstone will remain open and he said the Department of Children and Family Services Office of Licensing will implement an inspection and corrective action program. Source: http://www.centraljersey.com/news/mayor-last-boy-removed-from-group-home-in-millstone/article_5bcbba12-746d-5c78-9dc6-baf2a47510a7.html |
| Iowa Youth Home Counselor Accused of Relationship With Teens A residential counselor at a Davenport juvenile group home faces charges after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old resident and giving the boy drugs and money. Dec. 14, 2017, at 9:33 a.m. Iowa Youth Home Counselor Accused of Relationship With Teens Share × Share on Facebook Post on Twitter Post to Reddit Email Share in LinkedIn Share on StumbleUpon Share on Google Plus DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A residential counselor at a Davenport juvenile group home faces charges after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old resident and giving the boy drugs and money. The Quad-City Times reports that police say 25-year-old Danielle Puls, of Rock Island, Illinois, gave the boy marijuana, as well as money to buy a handgun. Police say she had inappropriate contact with the teen and had a sexual relationship with another resident at Family Resources' Annie Wittenmyer juvenile facility. She is charged with drug distribution to a person under 18, possession of a firearm, sexual misconduct with an offender and lascivious conduct with a minor. Puls was arrested Wednesday and remained in the Scott County Jail on $33,000 bond. An attorney for her was not listed in online court records Thursday. ___ Information from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/illinois/articles/2017-12-14/iowa-youth-home-counselor-accused-of-relationship-with-teens |
| DSHS Settles First Kiwanis Vocational Home Lawsuit for $1.5 Million Deal: Money Will Go to Three Former Residents Who Claimed Abuse By Natalie Johnson / [email protected] 9 hrs ago 0 Facebook Twitter Email Chronicle headlines in the 1980s and 1990s alluded to trouble at the Kiwanis Vocational Home, but nothing as explosive as claims included in a number of lawsuits filed in relation to alleged abuse, negligence and fraud at the facility, which closed in 1994. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save The state Department of Social and Health Services has settled the first lawsuit alleging abuse and negligence at the state-licensed Kiwanis Vocational Home, which was open in Centralia from 1979 to 1994. DSHS has agreed to pay $1.5 million split equally between the three plaintiffs, identified in the 2015 lawsuit by their initials as R.N., J.W. and S.C. Investigations Showed Misuse of Funds, Violations and Obstruction at Centralia Kiwanis Home Attorney Darrell Cochran said for his clients the moment is “bittersweet.” “The bitter part is they’ve not only had to experience the horror at KVH but have been attacked by both the state and the Kiwanis for bringing this tragic situation to light,” he told The Chronicle Wednesday. “They’re relieved. They have some peace.” +1 The Kiwanis Vocational Home, then renamed Coffee Creek Center, closed in 1994. For 25 years it served as a state-licensed group home for wards of the state. DSHS issued a comment on the settlement Wednesday afternoon. “The settlement involves no admission of liability on the part of the state,” the statement reads. “The passage of time between the events in question and the lawsuits make these cases challenging to defend.” R.N., who has asked that his full name not be released, said he was sexually abused by staff as a teen at the facility. “After I left that place, my life spiraled out of control,” he said. R.N. is currently incarcerated. He. said he was placed in the Kiwanis Vocational Home after being removed from an abusive home by DSHS. Like many former residents who have shared their stories with The Chronicle, he remembers his stay at the home beginning with a “blanket party” during which older residents covered him with blankets and beat him with objects, then sexually assaulted him. He also has accused staff at the facility of sexually assaulting him on several occasions. He said the incidents were reported to DSHS, but police never got involved. A previous analysis of public documents by The Chronicle found about 40 instances just in the last eight years the home was open in which sexual or physical abuse was reported to DSHS with no corresponding police report in existence. Documents: State, Centralia Home for Boys Didn't Report Dozens of Claims of Abuse The settlement comes about a month after DSHS successfully petitioned a Thurston County Superior Court judge to issue a stay on the case, putting it on hold for at least a year. However, the case was only stalled for DSHS, and attorneys representing Kiwanis plan to present a motion for summary judgement Friday asking a judge to rule that they should not be held accountable for the actions of third parties — the staff who the plaintiffs accuse of abusing them If Kiwanis’ motion is successful, that might have left DSHS as the only defendant, Cochran said. Sexual Abuse, Fraud and Negligence Alleged at Closed Centralia Home for Boys “All they had achieved was a delay,” he said, of the stay. “They were never getting out of it, it was never getting better and it might have been they would end up being the only defendant. That was a risk the state was not willing to take, apparently.” However, Cochran said he does not believe a judge will rule with Kiwanis at the hearing Friday. Cochran has represented a number of plaintiffs in similar lawsuits against the state and Kiwanis regarding the Olympia Kiwanis Boys Ranch, but the 2015 lawsuit with R.N., J.W. and S.C. was the first involving the Centralia facility, and the first to reach a settlement. “I think it sets a precedent that the state acknowledges there were horrific conditions for foster children there,” Cochran said. “I think it’s a milestone in that this settlement acknowledges there were terrible conditions that DSHS could have prevented and now it’s in the open.” The three plaintiffs have sued various defendants including DSHS and agencies under its umbrella and Kiwanis clubs claiming that the state and Kiwanis allowed the home to stay open despite years of allegations of sexual and physical abuse by staff and other residents. The plaintiffs report that they were the victims of abuse while residents in the 1980s. More lawsuits from former residents were filed in 2016 and 2017. According to DSHS, a total of 13 claims have now been brought against the state regarding the Centralia group foster home. “In the more than two decades that have passed since the alleged actions took place, DSHS has taken numerous steps to improve child safety and well-being in Washington state, not the lease of which enhanced the procedures for licensing, monitoring and investigating facilities like Kiwanis Vocational Home,” said DSHS Secretary Cheryl Strange in a statement. “If these allegations were true, we hope these funds provide the men with the resources they need to recover from that traumatic time in their lives." Source: http://www.chronline.com/dshs-settles-first-kiwanis-vocational-home-lawsuit-for-million/article_6f66f488-e100-11e7-8fe9-e36d1becd68d.html |
| Police: Altoona man abuses group home resident Published on Dec. 15, 2017 | Updated 9:29 a. m. Share Tweet Share Email Comments An Altoona man is accused of physically abusing a resident at an Eau Claire group home. Joshua J. Mielke, 31, 215 Twin Oak Drive, was charged Thursday in Eau Claire County Court with a felony count of recklessly abusing a patient likely to cause great harm. According to the criminal complaint: Eau Claire police were called to the Bridge to Independence home, 2831-2833 Stein Blvd., at 10:10 p.m. Wednesday on a report of an employee placing a resident in a chokehold. The resident told police he was sad and upset because his girlfriend had broken up with him. Mielke became angry with the resident and told the resident to take his medications. At one point, Mielke told the resident he was tired of his actions and placed him in a chokehold for about 30 seconds. A witness said the incident was unprovoked by the resident. The group home’s director told police staff members are instructed to never use physical holds on residents. Mielke said the resident was out of control and that he was trying to protect himself and other residents Mielke said his boss told him he was allowed to restrain residents if necessary. Source: http://www.leadertelegram.com/News/Local-Briefs/2017/12/15/div-class-libPageBodyLinebreak-Police-Altoona-man-abuses-group-home-resident-br-div.html |
| Florida juvenile justice said it would weed out bad hires. How did this guy slip through? By Carol Marbin Miller [email protected] LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest Reddit Print Order Reprint of this Story December 16, 2017 09:00 AM UPDATED 1 HOUR 51 MINUTES AGO It took just two months for Chris W. Jeffries to get into trouble at his new job as a counselor for delinquent teens with drug or behavior problems. A week ago, police charged him with child abuse on allegations that he slugged a 16-year-old boy in the jaw at the Pembroke Pines program where he worked. Administrators at the Broward Youth Treatment Center hired him on Oct. 9, despite an ominous sign that Jeffries might have an anger management problem — just like many of the kids he’d be supervising. In June 2016, police say, he pulled a gun on his roommate and threatened to kill her after she demanded that he move out of the home they shared. Jeffries’ roommate later changed her mind and declined to cooperate with prosecutors, who dropped the case. It’s the exact sort of red flag that is supposed to trigger an alarm under a stringent new hiring policy designed to weed out youth workers with the kind of criminal backgrounds or unsavory work histories likely to render them unfit to work with hard-to-manage teenagers. The new procedures were developed eight months ago in response to a Miami Herald investigation that documented widespread excessive force and other misconduct within Department of Juvenile Justice lockups and residential programs. But there’s a hole in the state’s new policy: While the beefed-up screening governs how DJJ hires officers for its 21 detention centers, it holds no sway over the private contractors who run the state’s 53 residential programs for youths already adjudicated delinquent. The Broward Youth Treatment Center is one such facility. Never miss a local story. Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access. SUBSCRIBE NOW Though DJJ has the authority to write new contracts that require providers to reform their hiring practices, administrators have yet to hold their contractors to the same standards they’ve set for themselves. As a consequence, emotionally troubled teens were left in the care of a man who later acknowledged settling his differences with a closed fist. In a prepared statement, DJJ Secretary Christina K. Daly said that, although Jeffries’ criminal history didn’t disqualify him from employment under state law, “it is always the department’s expectation that hiring managers use the utmost common sense and discretion in hiring potential employees that place as their number one priority the safety and security of youth.” Christina K. Daly, secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, said the department ‘continues to be in constant communication with private providers to collaboratively improve hiring practices.’ Emily Michot [email protected] “The department continues to be in constant communication with private providers to collaboratively improve hiring practices. Our contracted private providers have been voluntarily working with the department on revisions to the background screening policy and procedures, to include hiring requirements, for all contract provider owners, operators, employees and program volunteers, as well as department employees and volunteers,” Daly said. Neither DJJ nor its contractors may hire job candidates whose criminal histories include a conviction for what’s called a “disqualifying” offense, such as sexual assault or felony battery. Under DJJ’s new policy, administrators also are expected to consider criminal histories as a whole, and purge prospective employees who technically are acceptable but who might pose a risk to vulnerable kids. DJJ’s Inspector General’s Office performs the background screenings, and provides the results to its contractors. From stocker to counselor In a detailed statement, the lawyer for Youth Opportunity Investments, the contractor that runs the treatment center, said that, under YOI’s internal procedures, job candidates with “non-disqualifying” criminal histories generally are flagged for further investigation by the company’s senior leadership, “who personally vet the candidate. Only those candidates who, with clear and convincing evidence, demonstrate qualities that overcome the historical event are considered for employment,” said attorney Gary Sallee. “Few have met that burden.” “It is YOI’s policy that it hires no one with a prior disqualifying offense and few applicants with non-disqualifying offenses,” Sallee said. Dark secrets of Florida's juvenile justice system : Dark secrets of Florida's juvenile justice system : A Miami Herald investigation A look at the "fight club" culture inside Florida's juvenile justice system, where staffers sometimes employ harsh takedowns, ignore abuse and offer snacks as bribes for beatdowns — known as "honey-bunning." Emily Michot and Matias Ocner [email protected] In Jeffries’ case, however, something went wrong. While the details of Jeffries’ employment remain under investigation by YOI executives, the company learned Friday that an employee “knew or should have known about the prior arrests and did not get that information in [Jeffries’ employment] packet,” Sallee said. The employee’s “dishonesty” was discovered Friday, Sallee said, and she was fired. Chris W. Jeffries was hired as a counselor at a Pembroke Pines mental health treatment center despite an arrest the previous year on allegations that he pulled a gun on a roommate. New state hiring guidelines at juvenile detention facilities intended to flag past problems aren’t mandated for private contractors. Broward Sheriff’s Office Sallee said the questions raised by the Herald not only led to the employee’s dismissal but “will create a better system, better policies and procedures.” Reached by telephone, Jeffries declined to speak at length with a Herald reporter. “I don’t want to speak more about it without a lawyer, even though I gave a statement to police,” he said. “I didn’t expect the case to get so big,” he added. “I didn’t think all this would happen.” Jeffries’ job application shows he worked as a stocker for a Sam’s Club in Miramar before joining the treatment center, and had been a security guard the previous three years, including stints at a Miami Beach nightclub and what is now called Hard Rock Stadium. He said he was licensed to do security work, and had a Florida concealed weapon permit. His job title with YOI was “youth care worker 1.” Jeffries’ criminal history isn’t much different than those of many of the teens he supervised at the Broward treatment center. His first arrest appears to have been made in November 2011 by the Tallahassee Police Department, which charged him with petty theft. He was placed in a pretrial diversion program. Later charges included marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession, which were dropped, and aggravated assault with a weapon, also dropped. A closer look at the assault charges might have caused a personnel director to think twice. A sworn statement from a Miramar police officer said that Jeffries got into an argument — the officer called it a “domestic disturbance” — with his roommate on June 11, 2016. The roommate and her boyfriend told Jeffries “that he had 24 hours to vacate the residence, at which point Jeffries became upset and approached her in an aggressive manner.” It’s Lord of the Flies culture with some of the people they have managing these facilities.With strong kids controlling the weak kids — and the staff controlling the strong kids. Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice As Jeffries got closer, his roommate threatened to spray him with Mace, the police report said. Jeffries then told her “that he will shoot her if she does.” The roommate, who didn’t want to see the argument escalate, ran from Jeffries and sought refuge in a friend’s car, police reported. While the two sat in the car, they could see Jeffries in the rearview mirror “pointing what appeared to be a black handgun at the rear of the vehicle,” the report said. A short while later, Jeffries left. Short tenure “The victim stated that she was in fear of her life during the incident,” the report said. Her friend confirmed her account, and police concluded the woman had “a well-founded fear that ... violence was about to take place.” Though a magistrate found probable cause to sustain the charges against Jeffries, the Broward State Attorney’s Office later declined to prosecute. An internal memo documented that Jeffries’ roommate “wanted to drop charges” and a witness later refused to speak with police. Jeffries was hired by Youth Opportunity Investments on Oct. 9. His short tenure with the company yielded only one complaint to DJJ — the unnecessary use-of-force allegation that resulted in his firing and arrest, records show. What few details are available of the Dec. 9 incident are contained in an arrest report by the Pembroke Pines Police Department and an incident report by DJJ. There is also a surveillance video that captured the encounter, but DJJ has yet to release it to the Herald. The youth who is listed as Jeffries’ victim is a 16-year-old from West Palm Beach. He is 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighs 150 pounds. His parent is the state of Florida, as the teen is a foster child whose mother and father were stripped of their parental rights. Though the youth had been charged with simple battery in March 2016, the rest of his criminal history includes nonviolent, mostly minor offenses such as burglary, using a fake ID, trespassing, criminal mischief and theft. Jeffries, the police report said, “became upset with the victim because the victim was spreading false rumors about him. [Jeffries] confronted the victim in the ‘day room’ common area.” He then “struck the victim with a closed fist once on the left side of the victim’s face.” The teen was not injured. Jeffries’ rap sheet says he is 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs almost 160 pounds. DJJ’s incident report said Jeffries was fired some time after the altercation. Investigations are underway by DJJ, the Pembroke Pines police and the state Department of Children & Families. A lawyer for the teen, West Palm Beach Assistant Public Defender Megan Eaton, declined to discuss the case, except to say in an email: “We are concerned about the safety of our clients in these facilities, particularly given that this incident happened after the Miami Herald’s exposé of DJJ’s past violations against children in their commitment facilities.” The strong and the weak Jeffrey Butts, who is director of the Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said Florida’s juvenile justice system will continue to be suffused with violence as long as the private providers that operate its post-adjudication facilities pay as little as $19,000 per year to the men and women who work with often mentally ill, disabled and traumatized youths. Jeffries’ annual salary was $21,611, Sallee said. Butts said his starting salary as an Oregon social worker with a master’s degree was about $19,000 — almost 35 years ago. “This is a social choice,” Butts said. “Florida is making a social choice when it underpays the people who take care of the most needy and most troubled children.” “It’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ culture with some of the people they have managing these facilities,” added Butts, who has worked with policymakers in 28 states, largely on youth justice. “With strong kids controlling the weak kids — and the staff controlling the strong kids. “You are using violence to try to teach kids not to use violence.” Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article190124124.html#storylink=cpy |
| Ex-Kentucky Country Day teacher sentenced to six years in prison for sharing child porn Ex-Kentucky Country Day teacher sentenced to six years in prison for sharing child porn Justin Sayers, Louisville Courier Journal Published 1:12 p.m. ET Dec. 16, 2017 Matthew Graves(Photo: Metro Corrections) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE A former Kentucky Country Day softball coach and teacher was sentenced this week to six years in prison, more than a year after he was accused of sharing child pornography on a social media application. Matthew Graves, 40, of Louisville, pleaded guilty in September to two counts related to receiving and sending sexually suggestive pictures of youths, according to federal court records. He received a 72-month sentence and 20 years of supervised release as part of a plea deal. The case was prosecuted in the Western District of Kentucky. Graves, who was arrested in March 2016, has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Courier Journal previously reported that Graves was contacted by the FBI at the eastern Jefferson County private school on Feb. 8, 2016, wanting to talk about his use of Kik, a cell-phone messaging application. More: Around 30 people in Shelby Park have access to water restored after Tuesday's massive pipe break More: Man arrested in connection with drive-by shooting in California neighborhood The since-fired teacher met with investigators at a nearby bookstore and said he used the app on and off in 2013 and 2014 to search for adult pornography. He said while in chat rooms, he would see others talking about child porn, according to a recording of the meeting filed in court. When pressed by police, Graves said he might have entertained conversations and exchanged pictures involving child porn, but that he never had any idea the people he was talking with were actually harming youths. “It was all a fantasy for me. I never hooked up with anybody," Graves said on the recording. "I never met anybody face to face." An undercover federal investigation in Dec. 2014 resulted in the arrest of William Steinhaus IV, a Maryland man who is alleged to have sent hundreds of images of child sexual exploitation using Kik. When Steinhaus’ phone was examined, police say they discovered he sent sexually suggestive images of youths to 25 Kik users, including someone identifying as “SouthernSon05.” Using an email address, investigators were eventually able to connect the username with Graves. In the recorded bookstore interview, Graves explained to police he no longer used the app and that he was unmarried and bored during the time he used the app. He assured them he would never touch a child and there have been no complaints against him by students. “It was never a reality, it was never something that I was partaking in,” Graves said. More: 2 killed, 1 man injured in Valley Station shooting Wednesday night “It was someone’s reality. It was a little girl’s reality," one of the investigators replied. "...At that time, it was definitely her reality." They asked Graves how he could view such material while having children of his own. “It’s twisted, man," Graves said. "When I was living in there, you just separate the two. And I just wanted someone to interact with." Graves, who a physical education teacher and head varsity softball coach at the school, was placed on administrative leave amid the allegations. He was fired at some point during the next month. Matthew Glowicki contributed reporting. Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; [email protected]; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/justins. Source: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2017/12/16/kentucky-country-day-teacher-sentenced-prison-child-porn/958075001/ |
| Judge: Lawsuit Over Group Foster Home Abuse Can Proceed A Thurston County judge says a lawsuit alleging misconduct at a group foster home in Centralia can proceed against the Kiwanis International and two local clubs. Dec. 18, 2017, at 10:25 a.m. Judge: Lawsuit Over Group Foster Home Abuse Can Proceed Share × Share on Facebook Post on Twitter Post to Reddit Email Share in LinkedIn Share on StumbleUpon Share on Google Plus CENTRALIA, Wash. (AP) — A Thurston County judge says a lawsuit alleging misconduct at a group foster home in Centralia can proceed against the Kiwanis International and two local clubs. Superior Court Judge James Dixon on Friday rejected the Kiwanis claim that it had no actual involvement in Centralia's Kiwanis Vocational Home. The Centralia Chronicle reports that an attorney for Kiwanis International and local clubs had asked the judge to dismiss the claims against them. The Kiwanis Vocational Home served as a state-licensed group home for wards of the state until 1994. In the first of several lawsuits filed, three men claimed in 2015 that the state and Kiwanis allowed the home to stay open despite years of allegations of sexual and physical abuse by staff and other residents. ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads The state Department of Social and Health Services last week agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle their portion of that lawsuit. ___ Information from: The Chronicle, http://www.chronline.com Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2017-12-18/judge-lawsuit-over-group-foster-home-abuse-can-proceed |
| Teen sexually assaulted in foster care files lawsuit WSPA Staff Published: December 19, 2017, 8:04 am Updated: December 19, 2017, 8:21 am Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) 552Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)552 Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) GREENWOOD, S.C. (WSPA) — A federal lawsuit alleges that a special needs teenager in foster care was sexually assaulted by a driver who worked for the South Carolina Youth Advocacy Program. The teen’s attorney, Heather Hite Stone, said the boy was being transported from a visit to Greenwood to a foster home in Columbia when the driver took the teen home and sexually assaulted him in March 2016. The victim was 17 years old at the time. The boy reported the sex assault to his foster mother and was so distraught he considered suicide, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit asserts the driver claimed the sex act was consensual, but attorneys say the special needs teen cannot and did not consent to sexual activity. The S.C. Youth Advocacy Program, two of its employees and a caseworker with the S.C. Department of Social Services are named as defendants in the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges that DSS did not provide the boy with sufficient counseling. “Special needs foster children are perhaps the most vulnerable population in our society, and it is hocking an horrific when individuals and agencies who are charged with protecting our most vulnerable citizens violate this sacred trust,” Stone said in a statement. Source: http://wspa.com/2017/12/19/teen-sexually-assaulted-in-foster-care-files-lawsuit/ |
| Audit finds unsafe conditions at group homes for foster children Share via e-mail To Add a message Your e-mail Print 52 Comments 52 Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff/file 2015 Governor Charlie Baker has put a focus on reforms at the Department of Children and Families. By Michael Levenson Globe Staff December 19, 2017 A moldy mattress, a broken handrail, a dirty toilet, mildew in the shower, and a bathroom door that didn’t close all the way were among the unsanitary and unsafe conditions found last year during inspections of 30 group homes for foster children in Massachusetts, according to a federal audit released Monday. The audit, by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, concluded that 27 of the 30 homes inspected failed to follow health and safety standards designed to protect children taken into state custody due to abuse or neglect. In addition, 18 of the 30 group homes had one or more employees who had not completed the required criminal background checks. Source: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/18/federal-audit-uncovers-unsafe-and-unsanitary-conditions-group-homes-for-foster-children/HxaFR0eqhIYQpyjfeU1iEN/story.html |
| Foster care system needs to raise the bar Dec 19, 2017 The bad news just keeps coming, with another disturbing report about how the state of Massachusetts has been caring for kids in need. Just a week ago the governor and state Auditor Suzanne Bump got into a public feud over Bump's report that said children under the care of the state Department of Children and Families had been abused and prosecutors weren't alerted to crimes committed against them. Now, a report by the Office of the Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has found scores of cases where employees in group foster homes had not received background checks, an issue that put children "potentially at risk," according to the report. The report also cited instances of moldy and ripped mattresses, rotting food and widespread noncompliance among 30 group homes inspected by government auditors. The apparently haphazard use of criminal background checks before people are hired to work in group homes is the most disturbing aspect of the report. It said about 10 percent – 155 of the 1,445 group home employees the federal auditors reviewed – never underwent background checks before they were hired. George Nedder, who directed the federal audit, said, "You're talking about someone in a house behind closed doors" with children. He noted that he had to fill out a form for a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) check before he could volunteer to help at his daughter's soccer games. Yet his auditors found more than 150 instances where prospective foster home workers were never fingerprinted, never scrutinized for criminal records and never compared to a sex offender registry, before they were hired by state contractors to work with children. DCF oversees more than 9,000 children in foster care. DCF and officials at the state Department of Early Education and Care promised to act on specific allegations in the federal report. In statements released this week, state officials said they are starting annual unannounced visits to group homes, as recommended in the Inspector General's report. There's no denying that many of the children in foster care – whether placed in a family setting or in group foster homes – often face serious behavioral and developmental challenges, because of often unstable family backgrounds. DCF and the Department of Early Education are charged with trying to create stable and healthy living environments for many children who haven't had them before. But the findings that state agencies were so sloppy about a most basic procedure – complete background checks on strangers before they are put in contact with often-vulnerable children – is especially disturbing in this day and age. The need to do a better job isn't being ignored, judging from the statement by DCF spokeswoman Andrea Grossman: "Children in our custody deserve a safe and healthy environment, and the specific issues identified during the course of the audit were immediately addressed." That presumably means the agency is now doing criminal background checks on everyone it has hired, and the unsanitary conditions cited in some of the group homes reviewed in the audit have been cleaned up. Those seem like minimum requirements in the 21st century. The vow to conduct one annual, unannounced visit to each group home seems like a very low bar to reach. Even at that, these improved practices should improve overall conditions for children in Massachusetts group foster homes. Source: http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/editorials/foster-care-system-needs-to-raise-the-bar/article_591ee1cb-829e-5b3f-b426-766135da1efe.html |
| ‘Drill instructor' accused of sexually assaulting child at Abilene behavior boot camp Jamie Burch Posted: Dec 21, 2017 11:03 AM CST Updated: Dec 21, 2017 11:03 AM CST Emory Dale Phillips, 30 Emory Dale Phillips, 30 ABILENE, Texas - Abilene police arrested a "drill instructor" accused of sexually assaulting a child at a behavioral boot camp. Emory Dale Phillips, 30, of Abilene, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bond was set at $150,000. According to court documents, the victim reported the abuse to a relative in July. She said it happened at a behavioral boot camp in October 2013 when she was "eight or nine years old." The victim said Phillips “cornered her in her room” and told her to pull down her underwear. He then touched her "no-no spot" and touched “in there.” Phillips – who was featured as one of Abilene’s Wanted Criminals in October – was out on probation for an injury to a child conviction. He kicked a young girl in the torso, 11 days after the alleged sexual assault. Source: http://www.ktxs.com/news/drill-instructor-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-child-at-abilene-behavior-boot-camp/675940086 |
| AGN EXCLUSIVE: Former Congressman Bill Sarpalius details suffering abuse at Boys Ranch When Bill Sarpalius was a teen, he lived at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch with 35 others in a dormitory overseen by two house parents. Also at the home for troubled or parentless youths was a dairy barn. That’s at least one of the places where the former U.S. congressman said he was abused when he was a resident there from 1960 to 1967. “I had been sexually abused by boys, by some of the older boys,” he said in an interview with the Amarillo Globe-News. “It was some big boys that were in the dairy barn, and they took me into the feed room, and that’s where it happened,” he said. “It was a back room, where they kept the cow feed.” SEE ALSO Editorial: Transparency is next step for Boys Ranch Boys Ranch acknowledges, apologizes for decades of physical, sexual abuse from ’50s to ’90s Sarpalius — who represented the Texas Panhandle for eight years in the Texas Senate and then six in Congress — is perhaps the most prominent in a growing number of men who say they were severely mistreated at the residential care facility 36 miles northwest of Amarillo. Sarpalius came to Boys Ranch when he was 13 years old; he could not read and had previously suffered from polio. He said he was “tall and skinny and behind in school — and a prime target to be bullied.” He said he received excessive physical punishment at Boys Ranch, recounting a time a staffer tied him and another boy up to chin-up bars and “probably spanked us a little more than we should’ve been.” But Sarpalius said most of the abuse he experienced there was from other students, since the ranch at the time was a place where judges sent violent youth offenders. He characterized the conditions at the time as “violent boys versus kids that had nothing.” “They had about half the kids who committed violent crimes and half of the kids came from places that had no home, like me,” he said. The head of the ranch recently apologized in a written statement after allegations of abuse made by former residents were made public by The Guardian, a British newspaper, and the Child-Friendly Faith Project, an Austin nonprofit advocacy group. Abuses allegedly occured from as early as the 1950s through at least the 1990s. “For those who left Boys Ranch having experienced abuse of any form, I am truly sorry, both as the leader of this organization and as a man,” Dan Adams, Cal Farley’s president and CEO since 2004, said in the statement. “It is for these reasons that regulatory oversight and strength-based models of care in this field evolved, and Cal Farley’s strives to be a leader in observing both.” Out of the shadows Child-Friendly Faith Project, which is advocating for a group of former Boys Ranch residents who say they were abused and have emotional issues stemming from that abuse, praised Sarpalius’ decision to come forward. “As we have seen with the #MeToo movement, when prominent, well-known individuals acknowledge that they have been victims of abuse, it empowers survivors who have previously been afraid to tell their stories out of shame or fear they will not be believed or they will be dismissed or rebuked,” Child-Friendly Faith Project founder Janet Heimlich said in a statement. “Many Cal Farley survivors, as children, tried to speak out and tell adults they were being abused or had witnessed abuse, only to be rejected and sometimes punished,” she wrote. “We are grateful to Mr. Sarpalius for his courage and compassion.” The nonprofit doesn’t allege ongoing abuse, but has pushed for Cal Farley’s to more publicly and actively confront the years of alleged abuse at the ranch, which has housed more than 9,000 youngsters since it opened in 1939. Boys Ranch is open to at-risk children ages 5 to 18 and currently supports about 250 boys and girls. It has its own K-12 school, Boys Ranch Independent School District. Despite protests from the group, Boys Ranch recently moved ahead with the naming of a dormitory after Lamont Waldrip, a longtime ranch employee and superintendent who some accused of harsh abuse. Waldrip died in 2013. “It wasn’t nothing for him to give you 50, 60 licks and make your a— bleed through your Levis,” said Rob Waldrup, who lived at the ranch from 1964 to 1969. Waldrup, 66, said his time there, marked by vicious beatings, has left him with emotional and anger problems that led to stints in jail. But Sarpalius and others former residents interviewed by the Globe-News say they admired Waldrip and said the naming should stay because it also honors his family. “Roger Waldrip he meant the world to me,” Sarpalius said. “He gave me my first spanking.” Jimmie Boatwright, the 65-year-old president of the Cal Farley’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and a resident at the ranch from 1966 to 1970, said Waldrip really cared for the boys, but he admitted punishment at Boys Ranch was extreme. “You’ve got to realize corporal punishment was everywhere. There was a different mentality at the time,” he said. “But some people took it too far, that I agree.” Changing rules Sarpalius, who has stayed in close contact with the ranch over the years, said he isn’t angry with his treatment, and he credits his success to his time at the ranch. “I had a teacher who went out of her way to teach me how to read, and if it hadn’t been for Boys Ranch, I would’ve never accomplished what I’ve accomplished,” he said. “I don’t ever regret going there,” he said. “There was some bad, but there was a whole lot of good.” Sarpalius also emphasizes that the ranch has dramatically improved over the years, and he attributes the rough conditions to a lack of state regulation during that time at the ranch. The state passed licensing laws in 1975 that added regulatory requirements for all childcare facilities. Over time, Boys Ranch also shifted away from being a destination for violent youth offenders and added professional social workers to its staff. Sarpalius said he hopes the stories and allegations from years ago don’t bring down the organization. “The Boys Ranch of today is not the Boys Ranch of 50 years ago,” he said. ADVERTISING Controversy at Boys Ranch highlights evolution of organization Tales from the Ranch Sarpalius said stories of his time at the ranch will be shared in an upcoming book, “The Grand Duke from Boys Ranch,” which he said is set for release in April. A description of the book says it chronicles Sarpalius’ “harrowing challenges” at Boys Ranch through his time in Congress, when his efforts fighting for Lithuanian independence in 1990 earned him that country’s honorary title of grand duke. Sarpalius, who now lives in Maryland and does some lobbying and public speaking, said he hoped the book would open up more opportunities for him to tell his story and encourage people “they can make something of their lives, regardless of what environment they’re in.” Source: http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2017-12-23/agn-exclusive-former-congressman-bill-sarpalius-details-suffering-abuse |
| Long Creek is failing to keep Maine kids safe. It’s time for its doors to close. By Alison Beyea, Special to the BDN • December 26, 2017 11:33 am Updated: December 26, 2017 11:38 am George Danby | BDN George Danby | Kids, some as young as 11, don’t belong in prison. Earlier this month, we were reminded why. An independent audit of Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland produced by The Center for Children’s Law and Policy documented the dangerous conditions of the youth prison and its failure to provide children with adequate care, including mental health treatment and education. It was a stunning rebuke, but it wasn’t a surprise. Science, child development experts and experience all tell us that children are better served receiving rehabilitative services closer to home in a setting designed to make sure that they get the care they need. The kids sent to Long Creek are largely warehoused and forgotten until a tragedy — like a suicide — catapults them into the headlines. At that point, it’s too late. Every day Long Creek remains open, more kids are put in jeopardy of violence. Every day a child spends at Long Creek is a day that’s lost instead of aiding in their education and recovery. That’s why the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine has called for Long Creek’s closure. Sponsored Content Why a Gap Between Educators and Students Exists on This Issue By Pearson The evidence is overwhelming. Long Creek represents a broken, irreparable system that is harming Maine kids and violating their constitutional rights. The Maine Juvenile Code tasks Long Creek with providing kids “the necessary treatment, care, guidance and discipline to assist that juvenile in becoming a responsible and productive member of society.” The 74-page Long Creek report shows that the facility is not meeting its statutory duties. Instead, the report details a litany of horrors no person would wish on a child. Children with intense mental health needs are marooned at a facility not designed nor equipped for therapeutic treatment. They are physically unsafe, and inappropriate force is used by inexperienced and overwhelmed staff. Youth are pushed deeper into the adult criminal justice system “because of behavior that stems from an unmet mental health need or disability.” Staff rely on Google Translate to communicate with parents who are not fluent in English. LGBTQ residents are bullied and harassed by staff and fellow residents alike. The audit also found that kids are not getting the education they are legally entitled to: detained boys, who are held at the facility before trial, receive only half of the legally required education minutes per day; girls don’t consistently get full days of school; and youth who need special education services are not getting the services that Long Creek has agreed to provide them in their Individualized Education Programs. The Long Creek report paints a picture of a Department of Corrections that has failed the youth in its care, but it also reminds us that the Department of Corrections is not the only state agency responsible for this mistreatment. As we said last spring, multiple state systems have failed these kids, including most significantly the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. The Long Creek report backs this up. One of its two central recommendations is to examine and address how DHHS policies and practices failed to catch these struggling youth before they were sent to Long Creek. The Legislature and the public must hold DHHS accountable for failing to keep our kids safe. There are concrete steps that can be taken. The state should examine the continuum of care supported by DHHS, identify the key problems, and then demand the agency come up with a plan to fix them. DHHS contracts with psychiatric residential treatment facilities that are too often a pipeline to Long Creek. That needs to change. If those service providers are just temporary stops on the way to prison for kids, new providers should be found. For the kids currently inside, we must require that the Department of Corrections and DHHS do an individual assessment of each child with mental illness at Long Creek and find a suitable placement that is developmentally and therapeutically appropriate as soon as possible. Holding our state agencies accountable for the failures at Long Creek should not require Herculean changes or expenditures. The numbers of kids who need our help is small, between 65 and 85, some of whom are as young as 11. We should be able to treat so few kids without locking them up in an expensive and violent prison. In order for us to honor our fundamental values and to provide the necessary treatment, care, guidance and accountability for youth in the juvenile justice system, we must seek more humane and effective solutions, and we must close Long Creek. Alison Beyea is the executive director of the ACLU of Maine. Follow BDN Editorial & Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions on the issues of the day in Maine. Source: https://bangordailynews.com/2017/12/26/opinion/contributors/long-creek-is-failing-to-keep-maine-kids-safe-its-time-for-its-doors-to-close/#_=_ |
| Maine should follow other states and close youth detention center December 26, 2017 6:00 am Updated: December 26, 2017 6:55 am Troy R. Bennett | BDN Troy R. Bennett | BDN Long Creek Youth Development Center on Westbrook Street in South Portland. Poll Should the state close Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland? Yes No VoteView Results Like the state’s county jails and prisons, the Long Creek Youth Development Center has become a warehouse for young Mainers with mental illness. Predictably, it is failing to develop, let alone protect the safety of, the children who are housed there. “Any outside observer should see the number of suicide attempts and self-harming gestures as clear evidence of the inappropriateness of Long Creek as a placement for many youth,” an independent group concluded after its assessment of the facility in South Portland. Eighty-five percent of the youth committed to Long Creek had three or more diagnosed mental health conditions and roughly four in 10 had spent time in a residential mental health treatment facility before being sent to the detention facility. At Long Creek, these children are not getting the mental health services they need nor are they receiving legally required educational services. Last October, a mentally ill transgender boy hanged himself while on suicide watch at Long Creek. Not long after that, corrections officials began to publicly acknowledge that the center cannot handle its large population of mentally ill inmates, which includes other young people who have tried to kill or hurt themselves. About a third of detainees at Long Creek are sent there by mental health facilities, a breakdown of that system as well. The state has been working for decades to improve juvenile detention, and that work is ongoing with a welcome, but vague, announcement last week that many of the facility’s detainees will be moved to small, regional psychiatric facilities beginning in the spring. There have been successes — the number of juveniles being held has been cut in half in the last decade, the detention of low-risk offenders has essentially ended and graduation rates have risen. However, continuing to hold children in an unsafe, inappropriate and expensive facility — it costs $250,000 a year per inmate at Long Creek — is a colossal failure that is harming these youths and wasting limited taxpayer resources. Rather than seek to improve Long Creek, Maine needs to move to a new system that emphasizes treatment and that keeps kids in the community, preferably their own. There are many models, which are working in other states, that Maine can follow as it begins the work announced by Corrections Commissioner Joseph Fitzpatrick last week. An analysis of the state’s services for youth, including state and private sector programs, should guide this work to ensure coordination between programs and emphasize those that are working. A first step is to move juvenile justice services out of the Department of Corrections. Maine is one of just a few states where juvenile detention and rehabilitation is overseen by the Department of Corrections. In most states, these youths are in programs and facilities run by family and health departments. This is important because despite increasing emphasis on mental health, corrections departments are built largely on a model of punishment as a means of rehabilitation. Nationally, states are moving away from warehousing juveniles in large detention facilities. Illinois and Kansas have closed such facilities, and Connecticut is poised to do so. Missouri and Massachusetts house small numbers of children is small facilities with a focus on therapeutic treatment. Sponsored Content Why Educators Are Hesitant Towards Introducing New Technology By Pearson The biggest change must be one of mindset. Gov. Paul LePage and his administration have made it clear that improving the lives of people living in poverty and with addiction and mental illness are a low priority. Staffing shortages and lack of direction and coordination at Long Creek mirror similar problems at the state-run Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta. Nor has the administration prioritized improving the state’s corrections system, which is heavily reliant on underfunded county jails. The Center for Children’s Law and Policy, which reviewed operations and conditions at Long Creek at the behest of the state’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, found that the facility’s low staffing and high population of teens with mental illness have created “dangerous and harmful conditions.” Because the facility is understaffed, employees there worked more than 5,400 hours of overtime during the first nine months of the year. This led to burnout, turnover and lack of coordination and consistency in how the children held there were treated. As a result, both staff and detainees are put at risk of violence and injury. This is nearly identical to the findings in a report on conditions at Riverview. The problems there were improved when the Department of Health and Human Services got serious about filling staff vacancies. The same kind of commitment is needed now to overhaul the state’s juvenile justice system. Follow BDN Editorial & Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions on the issues of the day in Maine. Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2017/12/26/opinion/editorials/maine-should-follow-other-states-and-close-youth-detention-center/#_=_ |
| Inspector general: 50 victims of sex abuse verified in 3 years in Nebraska child welfare, juvenile justice systems JoANNE YOUNG Lincoln Journal Star JoAnne Young State government reporter Dec 27, 2017 Updated 26 min ago (1) Facebook Twitter Email Buy Now Rogers Journal Star file photo Facebook Twitter Email Print Save A nearly yearlong investigation into alleged sexual abuse of children and youth in Nebraska's child welfare and juvenile justice systems showed 50 verified victims in a recent three-year period, the state's inspector general for child welfare reported Wednesday. It also showed attitudes toward sexual abuse of youth in state care that concerned Inspector General Julie Rogers and her staff, including "problematic attitudes" among system professionals and caregivers toward child sexual abuse and children in the state's care. “I want to assure the public that we prioritize the safety of every youth in our care,” said Matt Wallen, director of Children and Family Services. “While our most recent data shows that 99.83 percent ... of children in our care are not abused, we are not satisfied when even one case of abuse occurs. We make every effort to prevent the abuse of children in our communities, as well as in our care.” Rogers said the investigation started last year with the accumulation of 36 sexual abuse reports since July 2013. The goal was to discover whether adequate steps were being taken by the Department of Health and Human Services to prevent and respond to abuse of youth in the state’s care. But when she and others dug into the reports, and asked for more data, they ended up with 50 cases, even after weeding the 36 original cases because some were not state wards or former state wards. "That was surprising to us," she said. "All of these kids had been abused and neglected or in juvenile justice. ... And then they're abused and neglected while the state is their parent." Some children reported the abuse occurred in a foster home, in an adoptive home or when they were under state guardianship. Some were in the juvenile justice system or in a home licensed by the department or at a Youth Residential Treatment Center. Among the 50 abused children and youth in the report, 27 were state wards and youth in residential placements and 23 were in adoptive or guardian homes. They ranged in age from 4 to 18 when abuse was disclosed. In each case, the abuse was reported to the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. The investigation also discovered cases beyond the 50 that were either screened out incorrectly, not investigated properly and so not substantiated. Others they just couldn't gather the needed evidence. Rogers said estimates show about 38 percent of child victims disclose sexual abuse, some years later, but others not at all. Research shows only 4 to 8 percent of disclosures are false. Child sexual abuse generally includes everything from rape to molestation, sexual touching and coercing or persuading a child to engage in any type of sexual act. It includes exposure to pornography, voyeurism and sexual talk by phone or internet. Sen. Merv Riepe, chairman of the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee, gave approval for Rogers to release the report to the public. Riepe said it was "extremely important" that it be made public, because the only way to solve a problem is to talk about it. "It will be a top priority for all of us," he said. The state must have zero-tolerance on the issue of sexual assault, he said. At the same time, he acknowledged that 99 percent of children in the state's custody get good and safe care. But even one case is not acceptable. The department has been receptive to the recommendations made by the inspector general, he said. What needs to be done is being done. During those three years covered by the investigation, there were 1,284 substantiated victims of child sexual abuse statewide, according to DHHS. The agency does not track how many of those children were involved in the child welfare system, Rogers said, but research shows youth in the system are at higher risk than the population at large. Among the 50 abused children and youth in the report, 36 were abused by adults, 11 by other youth and three by both, Rogers said. Half of them were sexually abused by caregivers — foster and adoptive parents, guardians or facility staff. All were known to the children and had established relationships with them. The cases involved sexual assault by fathers, foster brothers, foster fathers, a foster mother, adoptive fathers, other state wards, uncles, unrelated older men and women, older brothers, grandfathers, group home workers and a therapist. Advertisement Play Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Stream TypeLIVE Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 00:00 Fullscreen 00:00 Unmute Playback Rate 1 Subtitles subtitles off Captions captions off Chapters Chapters Some of the youths were developmentally disabled or had mental illness. "I feel like the biggest thing is the attitude about sexual abuse," Rogers said. Caregivers and professionals at times dismissed or never reported disclosures, Rogers said, because they assumed troubled children were lying or “acting out.” Inaction after concerns were reported left some children exposed to continuing abuse. "They (caregivers and professionals) just have this harmful attitude about sexual abuse," Rogers said. In some cases, disclosures were assumed to be a recollection of sexual abuse that occurred in the past, but then never fully investigated, she said. For some youth in the juvenile justice system, disclosures were treated as another example of the child breaking rules, defying authority, seeking attention or causing trouble. Some children and youth were blamed by caregivers and system professionals for causing the sexual abuse they suffered, or their reports were minimized, the report said. Rogers said a number of adults and system professionals did not report allegations to proper authorities even though the law requires it. Also, some calls to the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline were screened out, preventing investigations and leaving children vulnerable to ongoing abuse. The investigation discovered instances in which hotline workers incorrectly determined youth sexually abusing other youth did not meet the definition of child sexual abuse, the report said. The attitudes contributed to errors and issues that left the system unable to effectively prevent and respond to abuse of youth in its care, she said. When the state becomes the parent to a child, how does a caseworker talk to that young person about sexual abuse, secrets and what's private, and finding trusted adults? "People need to know that this happens and we should be able to talk to kids about it in a developmentally appropriate way," Rogers said. "It's very tricky." The office of inspector general called for the department to foster a culture of zero-tolerance toward child sexual abuse. The impact of such abuse can be lifelong, Rogers' report said, with a heightened risk for physical and mental health diagnoses, academic problems, risky behaviors, and a possible negative impacts on lifetime earnings. The inspector general's office made 18 recommendations to the DHHS. The department accepted 14 of those, it said. “Preventing and responding to sexual abuse of children is not, and cannot be, the responsibility of DHHS alone. It is a community problem, which will need solutions and action from many in our communities,” Rogers said. She hopes the report and recommendations to DHHS, in addition to the action of Nebraskans, will help make needed improvements so that children are better protected, she said. “DHHS appreciates the thoughtful work of the Office of Inspector General. We have carefully reviewed the inspector general’s report and looked specifically into the recommendations,” Wallen said. Of the 18 recommendations in the report, the department is committed to incorporating 14 into its best practices, three with modifications, Wallen said. Of the remaining four rejected recommendations, one requires compliance with standards not appropriate for child-caring agencies, he said, and the other three endorse policies, plans or assessments previously implemented by DHHS, and in operation. "We put our trust in our foster and adoptive parents to provide a loving and positive home,” Wallen said. “We are fortunate to have very committed and caring people who are helping children be their best.” Like what you just read? Subscribe today for the best in-depth coverage of local news, sports and entertainment. View options Reach the writer at 402-473-7228 or [email protected]. On Twitter @LJSLegislature. Child Sexual Abuse Report Summary, 2017 Shelly Kulhanek 6 hrs ago (0) State responds to child welfare report on sex abuse The Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday it was the source of initial sexu… Recommendations Some of the Office of Inspector General for Child Welfare recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS accepts recommendation unless otherwise noted): * End the practice of screening reports referred to law enforcement as not meeting definition of sexual assault when law enforcement declines to investigate, even though it meets DHHS definition. Ensure all allegations are investigated. DHHS will review the practice of screening reports referred to law enforcement. * Enhance training on sexual abuse for hotline staff, especially the dynamics of youth abusing other youth. * Create a process to fulfill state law to assess for risk of harm and provide services when reports of sexual abuse are referred for law enforcement investigation alone. DHHS rejects. It already assesses for risk and determines next steps. * Provide additional guidelines and training for meeting preponderance of evidence for substantiation of cases. * Meet the caseload standard required by law for initial assessment and ongoing case management. * Adopt specific protocols on providing children developmentally appropriate education to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation. * Review and revise training on child sexual abuse for DHHS staff. * Strengthen foster care licensing to remove inappropriate and unsuitable homes. * Include sexual abuse prevention training for foster and adoptive parents. DHHS rejects. It is included in training. It will explore better educating youth at time of placement. * Improve recruiting to ensure foster homes are prepared to meet the needs of children. * Ensure adequate staffing for residential child-caring agency licensing operations. DHHS rejects. It has met requirements to inspect, license and investigate these agencies. * Adopt policy and timelines on tracking, opening, investigating and taking action on possible violations by residential child-caring agencies. DHHS would modify to clarify existing policies and if necessary adopt new ones. Source: http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/inspector-general-victims-of-sex-abuse-verified-in-years-in/article_9c5cc0dc-9d4c-56ba-a31f-8ab0c1fe88da.html |
| AGN EXCLUSIVE: Former Congressman Bill Sarpalius details suffering abuse at Boys Ranch When Bill Sarpalius was a teen, he lived at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch with 35 others in a dormitory overseen by two house parents. Also at the home for troubled or parentless youths was a dairy barn. That’s at least one of the places where the former U.S. congressman said he was abused when he was a resident there from 1960 to 1967. “I had been sexually abused by boys, by some of the older boys,” he said in an interview with the Amarillo Globe-News. “It was some big boys that were in the dairy barn, and they took me into the feed room, and that’s where it happened,” he said. “It was a back room, where they kept the cow feed.” SEE ALSO Editorial: Transparency is next step for Boys Ranch Boys Ranch acknowledges, apologizes for decades of physical, sexual abuse from ’50s to ’90s Sarpalius — who represented the Texas Panhandle for eight years in the Texas Senate and then six in Congress — is perhaps the most prominent in a growing number of men who say they were severely mistreated at the residential care facility 36 miles northwest of Amarillo. Sarpalius came to Boys Ranch when he was 13 years old; he could not read and had previously suffered from polio. He said he was “tall and skinny and behind in school — and a prime target to be bullied.” He said he received excessive physical punishment at Boys Ranch, recounting a time a staffer tied him and another boy up to chin-up bars and “probably spanked us a little more than we should’ve been.” But Sarpalius said most of the abuse he experienced there was from other students, since the ranch at the time was a place where judges sent violent youth offenders. He characterized the conditions at the time as “violent boys versus kids that had nothing.” “They had about half the kids who committed violent crimes and half of the kids came from places that had no home, like me,” he said. The head of the ranch recently apologized in a written statement after allegations of abuse made by former residents were made public by The Guardian, a British newspaper, and the Child-Friendly Faith Project, an Austin nonprofit advocacy group. Abuses allegedly occured from as early as the 1950s through at least the 1990s. “For those who left Boys Ranch having experienced abuse of any form, I am truly sorry, both as the leader of this organization and as a man,” Dan Adams, Cal Farley’s president and CEO since 2004, said in the statement. “It is for these reasons that regulatory oversight and strength-based models of care in this field evolved, and Cal Farley’s strives to be a leader in observing both.” Out of the shadows Child-Friendly Faith Project, which is advocating for a group of former Boys Ranch residents who say they were abused and have emotional issues stemming from that abuse, praised Sarpalius’ decision to come forward. “As we have seen with the #MeToo movement, when prominent, well-known individuals acknowledge that they have been victims of abuse, it empowers survivors who have previously been afraid to tell their stories out of shame or fear they will not be believed or they will be dismissed or rebuked,” Child-Friendly Faith Project founder Janet Heimlich said in a statement. “Many Cal Farley survivors, as children, tried to speak out and tell adults they were being abused or had witnessed abuse, only to be rejected and sometimes punished,” she wrote. “We are grateful to Mr. Sarpalius for his courage and compassion.” The nonprofit doesn’t allege ongoing abuse, but has pushed for Cal Farley’s to more publicly and actively confront the years of alleged abuse at the ranch, which has housed more than 9,000 youngsters since it opened in 1939. Boys Ranch is open to at-risk children ages 5 to 18 and currently supports about 250 boys and girls. It has its own K-12 school, Boys Ranch Independent School District. Despite protests from the group, Boys Ranch recently moved ahead with the naming of a dormitory after Lamont Waldrip, a longtime ranch employee and superintendent who some accused of harsh abuse. Waldrip died in 2013. “It wasn’t nothing for him to give you 50, 60 licks and make your a— bleed through your Levis,” said Rob Waldrup, who lived at the ranch from 1964 to 1969. Waldrup, 66, said his time there, marked by vicious beatings, has left him with emotional and anger problems that led to stints in jail. But Sarpalius and others former residents interviewed by the Globe-News say they admired Waldrip and said the naming should stay because it also honors his family. “Roger Waldrip he meant the world to me,” Sarpalius said. “He gave me my first spanking.” Jimmie Boatwright, the 65-year-old president of the Cal Farley’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and a resident at the ranch from 1966 to 1970, said Waldrip really cared for the boys, but he admitted punishment at Boys Ranch was extreme. “You’ve got to realize corporal punishment was everywhere. There was a different mentality at the time,” he said. “But some people took it too far, that I agree.” Changing rules Sarpalius, who has stayed in close contact with the ranch over the years, said he isn’t angry with his treatment, and he credits his success to his time at the ranch. “I had a teacher who went out of her way to teach me how to read, and if it hadn’t been for Boys Ranch, I would’ve never accomplished what I’ve accomplished,” he said. “I don’t ever regret going there,” he said. “There was some bad, but there was a whole lot of good.” Sarpalius also emphasizes that the ranch has dramatically improved over the years, and he attributes the rough conditions to a lack of state regulation during that time at the ranch. The state passed licensing laws in 1975 that added regulatory requirements for all childcare facilities. Over time, Boys Ranch also shifted away from being a destination for violent youth offenders and added professional social workers to its staff. Sarpalius said he hopes the stories and allegations from years ago don’t bring down the organization. “The Boys Ranch of today is not the Boys Ranch of 50 years ago,” he said. Controversy at Boys Ranch highlights evolution of organization Tales from the Ranch Sarpalius said stories of his time at the ranch will be shared in an upcoming book, “The Grand Duke from Boys Ranch,” which he said is set for release in April. A description of the book says it chronicles Sarpalius’ “harrowing challenges” at Boys Ranch through his time in Congress, when his efforts fighting for Lithuanian independence in 1990 earned him that country’s honorary title of grand duke. Sarpalius, who now lives in Maryland and does some lobbying and public speaking, said he hoped the book would open up more opportunities for him to tell his story and encourage people “they can make something of their lives, regardless of what environment they’re in.” Source: http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2017-12-23/agn-exclusive-former-congressman-bill-sarpalius-details-suffering-abuse |
| Senator calls for more oversight of child welfare system JOANNE YOUNG Lincoln Journal Star Dec 29, 2017 Updated Dec 29, 2017 (LINCOLN — A Lincoln state senator is calling for more oversight of Nebraska's child welfare system to address child sexual abuse of state wards and those adopted from foster care. Sen. Kate Bolz said Friday she will request that a special oversight committee be formed by the Legislature. And she will ask for performance and financial audits of the child welfare system. Inspector General Julie Rogers issued a report this week after a nearly yearlong investigation that showed 50 verified child and youth sexual abuse victims in a recent three-year period. That number could actually be higher, she said. The investigation also discovered cases beyond the 50 reported to the child abuse hotline that were either screened out incorrectly or not investigated properly. For others, officials just couldn't gather the needed evidence. The investigation also showed attitudes toward sexual abuse of youth in state care that concerned her and her staff, Rogers said, including "problematic attitudes" among system professionals and caregivers toward child sexual abuse and children in the state's care. Among the 50 abused children and youth noted in the report, 27 were state wards and youth in residential placements and 23 were in adoptive or guardian homes. They ranged in age from 4 to 18 when abuse was disclosed. Advertisement Play Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Stream TypeLIVE Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 00:00 Fullscreen 00:00 Unmute Playback Rate 1 Subtitles subtitles off Captions captions off Chapters Chapters Some children reported that the abuse occurred in a foster home, in an adoptive home or when they were under state guardianship. Some were in the juvenile justice system or in a home licensed by the department or at a youth residential treatment center. Bolz will formally request the audits during the first week the Legislature is in session, she said. The session begins Wednesday. She will also introduce a legislative resolution to call for a special oversight committee. "As a state senator and representative on the Children’s Commission, I believe it is essential that we move forward with increased oversight by the legislative branch to promote the safety and best interests of children in state care," Bolz said in a news release. "I call on my colleagues to join these efforts.” Bolz said Rogers' report illustrates unacceptable performance of the child welfare system. Coupled with the inspector general’s Sept. 13 report outlining problems related to child welfare caseloads, workloads and workforce, and the recent request for significant additional investment in the child welfare system, Bolz said, it creates concern regarding its overall well-being. Source: http://columbustelegram.com/news/state-and-regional/senator-calls-for-more-oversight-of-child-welfare-system/article_c2921e6a-af03-5b1d-a3c3-dab09b573339.html |
| Neighbors raise concerns about school for troubled youth Posted: Jan 02, 2018 3:30 PM PST Updated: Jan 02, 2018 6:17 PM PST By Matt Campbell [email protected] By Kaitlyn Naples Newport Academy is the school raising concerns in Bethlehem (WFSB) BETHLEHEM, CT (WFSB) - Some in the quiet town of Bethlehem say they're dealing with a bad neighbor. They say a school for troubled youth is changing the dynamic in town and on Tuesday they held a meeting to discuss what can be done about it. Newport Academy is at the center of the controversy. Parents from all over the country pay tens of thousands of dollars to send their children to the school, with the hopes of seeing some positive changes. However, neighbors don't have many nice things to say. “It's just been a nuisance for the entire town,” said neighbor Cynthia Radauskas. She is one of the closest neighbors to Newport Academy. The school helps youth who have had difficulties in traditional school environments. In the school's promotional video, they say they use various therapies to treat students and tout their 5 to 1 student to teacher ratio. Neighbors said it's been nestled on Double Hill Road for several years, but recently, they say, the community has been negatively exposed to what's happening on campus. “It used to be a nice, quiet town, everybody got along. There was no theft, or worry about locking your doors or leaving your keys in your car overnight, now you have to lock your doors while you're in the house,” Radauskas said. On Tuesday night, at the selectman's meeting, neighbors voiced their concerns. Emergency services said they are being stretched too thin, and that's because the school accounts for 20 percent of calls. "Went into the Painted Pony, jumped over the bar, grabbed a couple bottles of vodka and ran off and drank them down. When we got to him, he was totally comatose," said Peter Dzielinski, of the Bethlehem Ambulance Association. That was just one of the stories that came out of the meeting on Tuesday. "We're basically giving someone a ride to the hospital. It's almost become like a taxi service," Dzielinski said. "You'll find them laying in the middle of the road, stealing cars, escaping all over town," Radauskas said. Radauskas says the school's mission is noble, they're just looking for more accountability. “They really need to keep their kids confined to their property. Have security to keep them there,” Radauskas said. "Youths in town, from Newport Academy, had stolen my wallet out of my own car. We were told that by the state police," said Lori Szumigala, of Bethlehem. The biggest issue residents and town officials have is keeping the students on campus. They say runaways have been seen sitting in the road, trespassing and even committing more serious crimes. “The worst call we've had was the theft of the vehicle,” said CT State Police Trooper Como D'Elia. He said that car was found near Yankee Stadium. He said calls to the academy have doubled in the last year, and said it seems to correspond with the enrollment also doubling to over 50 students. Representatives for the academy in California said in a statement "We do welcome any constructive discussion with the town on how we may best serve the needs of the teens of Connecticut. Facility closures over the past few years have led to a lack of availability of treatment for teens in Connecticut and we are actively working to fill that void." Newport is one of the biggest taxpayers in town, but the first selectman says safety is the priority and if things aren't cleaned up, he'd rather have cows occupy the space. While the town and the academy have had conversations in the past, there's no word on when the next one will be. Source: http://www.wfsb.com/story/37177585/neighbors-raise-concerns-about-school-for-troubled-youth |
| Lawsuits describe sex crimes and cover-ups at Missouri ranch for troubled boys A Christian ranch near Branson is being sued over allegations that three residents were sexually assaulted by other residents in 2009 and 2010. Giacomo Bologna, [email protected] Share This Story Tweet Share Share Pin Email Comment A Missouri ranch for troubled boys covered up rapes and sexual assaults committed against young boys in 2009 and 2010, according to lawsuits filed by three former residents. Some boys fondled, molested and raped younger boys, the lawsuits say, while the ranch ignored the abuse and sometimes punished boys for reporting it. According to the lawsuits, Lives Under Construction viewed sexual abuse as consensual acts between residents and fired an employee in retaliation for making a hotline call about it. There was a "culture of pervasive sexual assault," the lawsuits say. An example of some of the stained glass that was made at the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch in Lampe, MO. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) Lives Under Construction, a Christian residential facility for troubled boys near the Arkansas border, denies these allegations. "Some people will be able to differentiate truth from fiction, and some can't," ranch founder Ken Ortman said. "We invite anybody who wants to know (the truth) to eat with us, visit with us." The ranch has been the focus of controversy before. It came under intense public scrutiny in 2013 when two boys ran away from the ranch to a nearby residence, where they bludgeoned and stabbed to death an elderly couple. While the 2013 double murder was highly publicized, it is unclear if any news agency has reported on the trouble at Lives Under Construction four years earlier. The lawsuits filed by the former residents — in addition to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed after the double murder — paint a sordid picture of the rustic ranch in Stone County. Staff members were unqualified, the boys were too dangerous and advice from state officials was ignored, the lawsuits say. Records of sexual abuse described in the lawsuits might exist in juvenile court records, but those records are sealed. The News-Leader has asked a judge to unseal those records. In the meantime, internal ranch documents and criminal court records obtained by the News-Leader have opened a window into investigations conducted by state and local authorities in the fall of 2009. That includes the full investigative records of a rape committed at the ranch. Ken Ortman talks about the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch in Lampe, MO. in a pasture with a group of buffalo. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) The records say several months passed before authorities were told that a 9-year-old boy was raped by his 19-year-old roommate. According to reports written by investigators from the Missouri Department of Social Services, staff members were aware of sexual contact between the two roommates but did not act, despite state law that requires child care workers to report possible instances of abuse. The lawsuit said that when a ranch employee eventually made a hotline call about sexual abuse, the ranch immediately fired the staffer in retaliation. The ranch denies this. Other ranch documents from 2009 — including emails sent by the ranch's founder and minutes from the ranch's board meetings — have become public through a separate lawsuit against the ranch. Those emails show anger and frustration with law enforcement during the course of multiple investigations. In one email, Ortman, the ranch's founder, wrote that he believed juvenile officers had a "vendetta" against the ranch. Emails appear to say the agency intended to remove about five boys from the ranch and charge them with sexual assault. Minutes from a 2009 board meeting appear to say a state lawmaker intervened on behalf of the ranch to quash an investigation by a state agency. According to the meeting notes, the interdiction was successful. The News-Leader was unable to find any of this information — including the 2009 rape — ever reported by any news outlet. Ortman said those lawsuits are only allegations, and he disputed that the rape ever took place. Ortman said state investigators have never found a substantiated claim of neglect or abuse against Lives Under Construction. He said a 2010 substantiated claim of neglect was later overturned on appeal. Still, Ortman said people will read these allegations and treat them as facts. "It's trying, because you work to do the best you can and develop a good reputation," Ortman said. Past News-Leader reporting shows state authorities have temporarily stopped the ranch from accepting new residents five times in the past, but Ortman said corrections were made and resident intake always resumed. From humble beginnings to a million-dollar nonprofit According to Ortman, 69 years old and white-haired, the boys' ranch would not be in operation today were it not for the will of God. Ortman was a dairy farmer three decades ago when he stood in a barn in South Dakota. He said he felt God calling him to open a ranch in southern Missouri for troubled boys. Ortman stuck a piece of metal wire into a bale of hay, prayed and went to bed. The next day, he said he found the wire bent at a 90-degree angle. A miracle. CLOSE Ken Ortman talks about his decision to open LUC Boys Ranch. Andrew Jansen Ortman recently spoke with the News-Leader at his ranch, explaining how he and his wife moved to what was intended to be their retirement property a few miles north of the Arkansas border in Lampe. The ranch has grown from humble beginnings to a sprawling property with barns, livestock, machine shops and a small schoolhouse. As of October, Ortman said 18 boys were residing at the ranch, which brings in about $1 million of annual revenue. Tax records show that revenue is almost entirely made up of donations and grants. Ortman said numerous boys have been ordered by judges to attend the ranch. Many boys are sent by parents who no longer feel they can control their sons, Ortman said. When other facilities would give up on some boys, Ortman said Lives Under Construction gives them a family atmosphere. The boys attend Bible study, learn trades and shovel manure if they break the rules. When they arrive at the ranch, residents are taken off psychiatric medications. According to Ortman, hundreds of troubled boys have been positively impacted by the ranch in Lampe. According to criminal court records, Noel Nickel was 19 years old when his stepfather sent him to Lives Under Construction from Colorado in early 2009. Nickel shared a bedroom with a 9-year-old boy, court records say. In one of the dorm rooms at the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch, one rancher has many photos of friends and family posted while another doesn't have any. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) The boy, who is now an adult, is one of the plaintiffs in the case against the ranch. His lawsuit alleges he was placed in the same bedroom as Nickel "on the theory that it was beneficial for the younger boys at (Lives Under Construction) to be paired with older boys/men as mentors." Police say one night in early 2009, Nickel pulled the 9-year-old’s clothes down and raped him. Nickel eventually pleaded guilty to statutory sodomy and was sentenced to seven years in prison. A resident of the ranch told investigators in 2009 he saw Nickel and the 9-year-old in bed together, court records say, and another boy described seeing Nickel molest the 9-year-old, apparently on a different occasion. Court records say that Nickel left the camp before summer 2009, but that didn’t mean the sexual assault stopped for the 9-year-old. The 9-year-old told investigators that after he was raped by Nickel, two other boys separately forced him to touch their genitals and that he was also pressured by three residents to perform oral sex on them, according to court records. The 9-year-old boy allegedly said he told staff members about some of the sexual misconduct. Noel Nickel (Photo: Missouri Department of Corrections) Court records say Nickel also told the investigator that staff was aware of sexual contact between him and the 9-year-old boy. Nickel allegedly told investigators that staff would call him perverted or a “chomo” — a slang term for a child molester. The investigator wrote in his report that staff "kept pressing the issue about him doing something with a little boy and he got 'f---ing mad and he got irritated.' Nickel stated he almost got 'into it' with one of the staffers, named Red. "Nickel described Red as being big, with long red hair and a scraggly beard and tattoos," the investigator wrote. That staff member, Gerald “Red” Pierce, also spoke with a state investigator, according to court records. Pierce denied knowledge of the rape, court records say, though when asked about having Nickel share a room with the 9-year-old, Pierce said it was "probably not the best idea." According to court documents, Pierce said he witnessed sexual contact between the 9-year-old and a different resident. Pierce said he reported it to his superiors but no one else. The investigator told Pierce that he was a mandated reporter and should have alerted authorities to the sexual contact, court records said, but Pierce did not know he was a mandated reporter. A mandated reporter is someone required by law to report suspected child abuse, neglect or exploitation. Cheryl Curtis volunteers in the kitchen at the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch in Lampe, MO. She is part of an organization called Servants on Wheels Ever Ready out of Kansas that travels and volunteers in exchange for a place to hook up their RV's. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) “This is not a cover-up deal, we want these kids to have peace in their hearts,” Pierce told an investigator. Pierce spoke with the News-Leader in a phone call in December. He said he worked at the ranch for more than five years. Pierce denied ever saying that he saw sexual contact between residents and called allegations against the ranch a "witch hunt." When asked if he knew what a mandated reporter was, Pierce said he did not and asked a reporter to explain the term. Pierce emphasized that he knows nothing about the rape committed by Nickel. "The word rape was never used the entire time I was on or near the ranch," Pierce said. "Ever." As a part of that 2009 rape investigation, the 9-year-old boy was interviewed by a child advocate for about 40 minutes in September 2009, records say. Near the end of the interview, the 9-year-old asked if investigators would speak to Ortman, and, according to court records, the child advocate said yes. “Good, I want Ken to know,” the boy allegedly said. Ortman told the News-Leader in October that he was never interviewed by police in connection with the Nickel rape case and does not know the facts of the case very well. A painting hangs near the dining room at the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch in Lampe, MO. The painting was turned into a postcard that didn't sell very well for them. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) Ortman suggested that the 9-year-old boy may never have been raped. Nickel was not very smart, Ortman said, and could have been coerced into a false confession. According to court records, a forensic examination conducted on the 9-year-old showed he had anal scarring consistent with penetration. Reached by phone in December, Ortman said he's not convinced the scarring came from Nickel, saying the boy had been sexually assaulted before coming to Lives Under Construction. Still, emails sent by Ortman in the fall of 2009 to board members of the ranch appear to show he was aware of sexual contact and misconduct involving at least five boys at the ranch. Those emails — as well as other documents produced by the ranch — have recently been made public as exhibits in a wrongful-death lawsuit over the 2013 homicides committed by two runaways. The documents show that in November 2009, Ortman was apparently upset with Stone County authorities and wrote that juvenile officers were “bent on destroying the ranch.” Emails from sent by Ortman in 2009 say Stone County juvenile officers intended to take three boys away that fall and charge them with sexual assault. It's unclear what happened to those boys, because juvenile court records are sealed in Missouri. Mark Stephens, the judge who handles Stone County's juvenile court, has not responded to multiple phone calls and a written request asking if he would unseal juvenile cases pertaining to Lives Under Construction. As the Department of Social Services continued its investigation in the fall of 2009, Ortman wrote in an email that investigators told him “they are trying to prove we have sexual abuse occurring here every day with every boy... We need to decide our next steps to protect our boys and Ranch from being run over by authorities … Be praying that Satan doesn’t destroy everything that he wants to right now.” Documents say a parent of one of the boys reached out to a state lawmaker — David Sater, then the chairman of the House appropriations committee. The message "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." is written on the wall above where boys at Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch hang their jackets. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) Lives Under Construction board meeting minutes say Sater met with four people at the Department of Social Services and determined the state agency had overstepped its boundaries. “At the end of the conversation all four became very cooperative and decided to stop the investigation. This was an answer to our prayer,” the secretary wrote in the meeting minutes. Sater confirmed to the News-Leader he met with Department of Social Services officials after hearing the ranch was being “harassed,” but he did not recall encouraging anyone to stop an investigation. A state investigator who worked on the case declined to comment. Another state investigator named in court records said he did not remember the case. A spokeswoman for the state agency said elected officials regularly contact Department of Social Services staff on behalf of their constituents. She said she could provide few additional details. By the end of 2009, internal records from Lives Under Construction say the investigations were over, and Ortman presented a document to board members titled: “Plan of Action when Regulatory Agencies are Attacking Us.” Ortman told the News-Leader that Sater interceded on behalf of the ranch in 2009, but only after the state investigation was completed. The Department of Social Services was still refusing to let the ranch accept new residents, Ortman said, and Sater helped convince them otherwise. Ortman said Lives Under Construction does not hide anything and couldn’t if they tried. Hundreds of volunteers stop by the ranch each year to help out, Ortman said. One year, 816 volunteers visited the ranch, he said. “We can’t keep any secrets here,” Ortman said. The News-Leader spoke with Cody, a 17-year-old graduate of Lives Under Construction who was visiting the ranch in October when a reporter and photographer came to meet Ortman. Cody said he had problems with lying and stealing before coming to the ranch. He said he spent more than three years at the ranch, developing a work ethic through raking leaves, mowing grass and taking care of animals. Cody also praised “skills before pills” — the ranch’s practice of taking every resident off of their psychotropic medications. Ortman, whose degree is in wildlife management, said any boy who truly needs medication would be given medication, but that's never been necessary. Documents from the Department of Social Services show the agency has repeatedly advised Lives Under Construction against this practice, but Cody said his life is better without medication. Cody said he is much more social now and looking forward to going to college. “There’s no way my life would be the way it is now without the ranch,” Cody said. Ortman said Cody’s experience is similar to hundreds of other boys who have completed the ranch’s program. After 2009 According to Ortman, officials from the Department of Social Services have told him that they receive a relatively small number of hotline calls about Lives Under Construction and even encouraged him to drop his ranch's state licensing, which it did in 2015. The state agency will still investigate hotline calls made about Lives Under Construction, but the ranch is no longer subject to twice-yearly visits by state officials. Ortman said they will also have more leeway when it comes to screening potential residents. Ken Ortman tries to get a group of cows to come to the fence at the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch in Lampe, MO. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) The News-Leader could not confirm those claims as Rebecca Woelfel, a spokeswoman for the state agency, said records of hotline calls are not public. Woelfel, who refused to speak with a News-Leader reporter on the phone, did not respond to a question asking why an official might suggest that Lives Under Construction drop its state license. It's unclear why anyone from the Department of Social Services would want the agency to have less regulatory authority over Lives Under Construction. Since 2015, Ortman said Lives Under Construction has operated under a religious exemption in Missouri law. While the state maintains a public list of the more than 100 licensed residential facilities, Woelfel said the Department of Social Services does not maintain a list of residential facilities that claim a religious exemption. It is unclear how many children in Missouri are currently housed in unlicensed residential facilities like Lives Under Construction. Randy Cowherd, a Springfield attorney, is representing the three former residents who claim they were sexually abused at the ranch. Cowherd is also representing the Brooks family, whose parents were murdered by runaways in 2013. They filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2016. Cowherd told the News-Leader after a 2017 court hearing that the family wants Lives Under Construction to either be shut down or have its leadership overhauled. The people who were on the board at the time of the 2009 rape and the 2013 murders have since resigned. They, too, are defendants in the four lawsuits facing the ranch. One former board member, Robert McDowell, has already settled the wrongful-death lawsuit, separate from the ranch. Court records show he agreed to pay $500,000. Jack Herschend, a former board member and a co-founder of Silver Dollar City, was among the hundreds of people who attended an open house at the ranch in October, according to the Stone County Gazette. Herschend is among those named in the lawsuits. He spoke positively of a tree-selling program he helped start at the ranch, the paper reported, and attendees ate barbecue, toured the ranch and watched skits performed by the boys currently living there. Recent tax forms for the nonprofit ranch show Lives Under Construction is almost entirely funded through donations and grants, raking in more than a million dollars some years. In 2015, the ranch raised more funds than any other nonprofit on Give Ozarks Day, an annual day of charitable giving organized by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The News-Leader reported Lives Under Construction received 186 donations totaling $71,809. Lives Under Construction released promotional videos on YouTube earlier this year, highlighting the ranch's Christian teachings and its independence from the government. In one video, a staff member praised the ranch's commitment to its residents. "(Lives Under Construction) is a place that’s never gonna give up on a boy and they’re never gonna kick a boy out," he says. "We tell our guys that this is a safe place to make mistakes.” Source: http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2018/01/03/boys-ranch-had-history-runaways-sexual-assaults-before-teens-killed-cou-2013-murders-committed-nearb/758751001/ |
| Family Sues Residential Treatment Facility Over Death of Loved One January 02, 2018 10:41 PM The family of Matthew Nick has filed a lawsuit against the drug and alcohol treatment center Metro Hope Ministries. The non-profit residential treatment center is located in South Minneapolis. Advertisement Nick's family acknowledges that he struggled with addiction for years. He was two months into a seven month program at Metro Hope when he died in the facility in January 2014. His sister, Katie Nick, filed a wrongful death suit. The complaint contends the center didn't take "reasonable steps to ensure Nick's safety and didn't have keys to the communal bathroom, which hindered access and supervision." Matthew Nick, left, Katie Nick, right Courtesy of the Nick family According to the lawsuit, Nick was found locked in a bathroom with eight syringes and heroin nearby. A current patient at the center who doesn't want to be identified feels like the facility offers real help and lasting hope. "There's no negligence I know that for sure," he said "This is a wonderful place." Nick's sister said she filed a lawsuit to create awareness. "They knew Matt had a methamphetamine habit, knew of his heroin habit," Todd Young, the family's attorney said. "And on the day Matt died they knew he was acting unusual." Katie Nick said she understands her brother signed a waiver when he entered the center. She wasn't aware of any other deaths at the same facility, but given that nearly 2,300 Minnesotans have overdosed and died since 2000, she took her fight to save future lives to court. "I want awareness because this is an epidemic and this is sad," she said. "I just don't want it to happen to other families." Peter Gregory is an attorney with Bassford Remele, which represents Metro Hope Ministries. Aas a faith-based drug and alcohol recovery program, Metro Hope Ministries' mission for the past 90 years has been to promote healing and hope for individuals struggling with addiction, particularly for those who have exhausted other treatment options. Metro Hope has denied the allegations in this lawsuit. Because the matter is currently in litigation and because of resident confidentiality, Metro Hope is unable to comment further at this time." Source: http://kstp.com/news/family-sues-residential-treatment-facility-over-death-of-loved-one/4727816/ |
| Connecticut boarding school settles sex abuse lawsuits Associated Press Facebook Twitter Print Email HARTFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut boarding school has made payouts to settle two lawsuits by former students alleging they were sexually abused by faculty members in the 1980s, an attorney said Thursday. The plaintiffs had accused the Indian Mountain School in Salisbury of failing to stop teachers and the headmaster from inflicting abuse on young boys, including sodomy, voyeurism and forced masturbation. The terms of the settlements are confidential. "The amount of money although confidential is meaningful and it is a start to closing this very sad and very tragic chapter in my clients' lives," said Antonio Ponvert, an attorney for the plaintiffs. A statement issued by attorneys for both sides said the settlements allow the school to focus on its role of educating children. "The school also remains steadfast in its commitment to prevent a recurrence of the misconduct on its campus in the 1970s and '80s," said Joseph White, an attorney for the school. Indian Mountain settled five similar lawsuits in the 1990s. No criminal charges were ever filed. A 50-page police report filed in 1992 detailed misconduct by English teacher Christopher Simonds and a former headmaster, Peter Carleton, but concluded the statute of limitations had expired. Simonds, who was fired in 1985, and Carleton are dead. The school enrolls students in pre-kindergarten through ninth grade and charges up to $59,600 a year. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/04/connecticut-boarding-school-settles-sex-abuse-lawsuits.html |
| Tracy group home counselor accused of child molestation Police think there may be more victims SUpdated: 6:27 PM PST Jan 3, 2018 KCRA Staff TRACY, Calif. (KCRA) — A group home counselor was arrested Tuesday for sexually abusing a juvenile, Tracy police said. Nolan Bradly, 34, was taken into custody around 8:30 a.m. on three counts of child molestation, police said. Advertisement Police said Bradly was working at a Tracy group home when they got reports of the molestation. Detectives gathered enough evidence during the investigation to arrest Bradly. No other details about the case were released. Police said the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are working to figure out if there are other juveniles who were inappropriately contacted by Bradly while he worked at the Tracy group home. Anyone with information is urged to call the Tracy Police Department at 209-831-6533. Source: http://www.kcra.com/article/tracy-group-home-counselor-accused-of-child-molestation/14586693 |
| State looks to close Hanna Boys Center PAUL PAYNE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | January 3, 2018, 4:53PM | Updated 2 hours ago. License revocation proceedings have begun against Sonoma Valley’s embattled Hanna Boys Center following a year of controversy in which a former top manager was charged with molesting four children, a second employee was accused of having sex with a youth and the facility was slapped with numerous civil lawsuits containing further allegations of abuse. A six-page complaint filed late last month by the Community Care Licensing Division of the Department of Social Services seeks to stop the 73-year-old, Catholic Church-based center on Arnold Drive from operating as a group home while stripping its former clinical director, Kevin Scott Thorpe, of the ability to ever work in a state-licensed facility again. Thorpe, 39, of Rohnert Park was arrested in June after a former resident came forward alleging Thorpe sexually abused him over a five-year period. An investigation turned up three more former residents who claim Thorpe molested them at the facility and during off-site, solo outings, in incidents dating back to at least 2006. Thorpe, who also ran a youth ministry program as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, remains in jail awaiting a February preliminary hearing with bail set at $1.8 million. Now, the complaint from state regulators filed Dec. 21 will be assigned to an administrative law judge who will hear evidence and issue a ruling, said Michael Weston, a Department of Social Services spokesman. The facility was the subject of five complaint investigations last year and received eight citations, including two classified as posing an immediate risk to health and safety or a personal rights impact. A hearing date has not been scheduled. “When the department is seeking to revoke a license that would be the highest degree of action the department can take,” Weston said. Hanna Boys Center officials plan to contest any revocation. Brian Farragher, executive director, said lawyers will respond with a list of corrective steps taken over the past six months to make sure the facility is safe for its up to 100 at-risk youths. Among the steps was a retraining of staff and residents on recognizing signs of sexual abuse and installing GPS devices in facility vehicles to track the transportation of minors, he said. “We’re confident we will be able to work this out,” Farragher said. “It’s been an important place for thousands of kids over the years. The current kids and families see us as a crucial resource for them.” Hanna Boys Center, founded in 1945, is associated with the Santa Rosa diocese of the Catholic Church. Bishop Robert Vasa, who sits on the governing board, did not return a call Wednesday seeking comment. In their complaint, state group home regulators claim Thorpe “regularly sexually molested” seven children over a more than 10-year period. They blame the center for failing to protect the personal rights of the children and failing to provide adequate supervision. They also allege the center knew about the inappropriate relationship between another employee, Angelica Malinski, and the 17-year-old but did not take steps to prevent it. The facility came under scrutiny beginning early last year after it was revealed that Malinski, then 22, was charged with having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old boy. She was fired, and her misdemeanor case is pending. Most Popular Stories Damaged PG&E equipment found near origins of North Bay fires Body found in Santa Rosa Denny’s bathroom ID'd 1st new home rises from ruins of Coffey Park Court rejects county's appeal in Andy Lopez wrongful death case Oregonians can pump their own gas, and some are freaking out Months later, Thorpe’s predecessor, 31-year-employee Timothy Norman, filed a whistleblower lawsuit, alleging he was wrongly fired for complaining about a lack of supervision over minors involved in bullying. That case is ongoing. Then in June, Thorpe, a former youth counselor and caseworker who replaced Norman, was arrested on two felony counts involving lewd and lascivious acts against a minor. Related Stories Hanna Boys Center official faces new molestation charges Hanna Boys Center clinical director in court on child-sex charges Deputies say there may be other victims of Hanna Boys Center molest suspect That minor was 23 when he told detectives he’d been abused by Thorpe numerous times from 2006-2011, when he was 13 to 18 years old. The alleged incidents occurred on campus and at Thorpe’s then-Sonoma home. Subsequent investigations led to more allegations from three other former residents. Thorpe now faces 34 felony and two misdemeanor counts. Source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7831682-181/state-looks-to-close-hanna?artslide=0 |
| Suit: Missouri ranch for troubled boys covered up sex abuse Originally published January 5, 2018 at 9:29 am Updated January 5, 2018 at 11:15 am 1 of 2 This Oct. 17, 2017 photo, shows the entrance to the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch in Lampe, Mo. A lawsuit filed on behalf of three former residents of the southwest Missouri ranch for... (Andrew Jansen/The Springfield News-Leader via AP) More Share story By The Associated Press The Associated Press LAMPE, Mo. (AP) — A lawsuit filed on behalf of three former residents of a southwest Missouri ranch for troubled boys accuses the Christian residential facility of covering up allegations of rapes and sexual assaults. The lawsuit, filed in October and detailed Thursday in the Springfield News-Leader , alleges that in 2009 and 2010, some older boys sexually assaulted younger boys at the Lives Under Construction rehabilitation camp in Lampe, near the Arkansas border. The lawsuit says the ranch ignored the abuse, delayed contacting authorities and even punished some boys for reporting it. The ranch’s founder, 69-year-old Ken Ortman, denies the allegations and says state investigators have never found a substantiated claim of neglect or abuse. “It’s trying, because you work to do the best you can and develop a good reputation,” Ortman said. Featured Video Beautiful, mad art until the end (7:18) Most Read It’s not the first time the ranch has faced scrutiny. Two teens who ran away from the ranch in 2013 pleaded guilty to killing an elderly couple at a home nearby. Lawsuits filed over the deaths of Paul and Margaret Brooks said ranch staff members were unqualified and advice from state officials was ignored. The two teens are serving life prison sentences in the deaths of the Baldwin, Michigan, couple. Ortman was a dairy farmer in South Dakota three decades ago when he said he felt called by God to open the ranch. Today, it has barns, livestock, machine shops and a small schoolhouse. Some boys are sent there by their parents, others by courts. Tax records show that most of the annual $1 million in ranch revenue comes from donations and grants. As of October, 18 boys lived there, attending Bible study and learning trades. If they break rules, they shovel manure. Psychiatric medications are not allowed. Ortman said hundreds of troubled boys have benefited from their time at the ranch. Records of sexual abuse, if they exist, are sealed in Missouri’s juvenile court. The News-Leader has asked a judge to unseal records related to the ranch. The lawsuit filed in October cites a “culture of pervasive sexual assault.” The newspaper did obtain internal ranch documents that include investigative reports after a 9-year-old boy was raped by his 19-year-old roommate in 2009. The Missouri Department of Social Services said ranch staff members were aware of the allegations but did not immediately contact authorities, according to those records. The lawsuit said that when an employee eventually made a hotline call, the staffer was fired in retaliation. The ranch denies that allegation. ADVERTISING The newspaper cited an email in which Ortman wrote that he believed juvenile officers had a “vendetta” against the ranch. Ranch board meeting minutes after the 2009 investigation showed that David Sater, a Republican who at the time was chairman of the state House Appropriations Committee, met with four officials at the Department of Social Services. Sater determined the agency overstepped its boundaries. “At the end of the conversation all four became very cooperative and decided to stop the investigation. This was an answer to our prayer,” the board secretary wrote in the meeting minutes. Sater, now a state senator, confirmed that he met with agency officials after being told the ranch was being “harassed,” but he did not recall encouraging anyone to stop an investigation. A state investigator who worked on the case declined comment. Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/suit-missouri-ranch-for-troubled-boys-covered-up-sex-abuse/ |
| R.I. agrees to settle lawsuit alleging improper treatment of children in state care In this 2009 photograph, Judge Nettie Vogel holds up a photograph of 3-year-old T.J. Wright at the sentencing in Providence County Superior Court of Gilbert Delestre for the murder of T.J. in 2004. T.J.’s death, at the hands of Delestre and T.J.’s aunt Katherine Bunnell, spurred the lawsuit against the state over alleged DCYF failures. [The Providence Journal, file] By Tom Mooney Journal Staff Writer Monday Posted at 11:28 AM Updated at 4:30 PM Share The settlement agreement requires the state to implement measurable and verifiable improvements in protecting the children in its care. The lawsuit was spurred by the 2004 beating death of Thomas “T.J.” Wright, 3. The boy had been beaten to death in an unlicensed foster home by his aunt and her boyfriend after he spilled milk and yogurt on a carpet. PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island on Monday officially agreed to settle a decade-long civil lawsuit that alleged systemic failures in the state’s child welfare system. Children’s Rights Inc., a New York-based advocacy group, first sued Rhode Island in 2007, alleging that the Department of Children, Youth and Families, through mismanagement, excessive caseloads of its social workers and a lack of funding, had allowed some children in foster care to be molested, abused and shuffled from home to home. The settlement agreement, filed in U.S. District Court, requires the state to implement measurable and verifiable improvements in protecting the children in its care. If it doesn’t, a third-party monitoring team, including the state’s Child Advocate, can ask the federal court to intercede. Sara Bartosz, a lawyer for Children’s Rights, said the lawsuit and its proposed settlement, which still needs a federal judge’s final approval, was about restoring “basic and fundamental” procedures into Rhode Island’s child welfare system. Related content Report calls for DCYF to make immediate changes in wake of child deaths December 20, 2017 DCYF in the spotlight: Forum explores grim realities for R.I. kids in state custody October 11, 2017 Forum explores DCYF problems; speakers include key players, those who grew up in foster care October 11, 2017 “It was not about delivering a Cadillac instead of a Chevrolet” in social services, she said. The suit was focused on assuring that the child welfare system met “constitutional minimums” — where allegations of abuse and neglect are properly and promptly investigated and social workers are not so overwhelmed with huge caseloads that they can’t visit each child at least once a month and file timely case plans. The settlement, Bartosz said, will also force the state to recruit and license more foster homes — where children are more apt to thrive than in group homes or communal settings — and to work harder to keep siblings in their care together. Bartosz said she was confident the state would meet the settlement’s mandates, several of which DCYF Director Trista Piccola has been advocating and implementing in recent months as settlement talks have continued in federal court. Those new initiatives include hiring almost 100 additional front-line social workers and investigators — positions that were already funded in the DCYF budget but, for reasons even Piccola said she couldn’t understand, had not been filled prior to her arrival last January. “I couldn’t wrap my head around why we would allow those vacancies to occur [when] we are completely reliant on front-line staff,” she said Monday. “It was one of those things I was surprised by: if there is a budget [for those positions] why don’t we just fill them? You can’t do this work sitting at a desk in an office.” In some ways, said Piccola, the lawsuit and its proposed settlement “is irrelevant to me. These are things we should be doing whether there is a lawsuit or not because they are so basic and fundamental to good child welfare.” In terms of the cost of implementing the settlement, “I’m still evaluating at this point,” Piccola said, since its ultimate cost is now entwined with the agency’s staff budget and many other recommendations don’t require more resources. Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced the settlement agreement Monday morning. In a statement, he said, “This settlement is the result of years of many individuals working towards the goal of establishing a child welfare system that puts the well-being and safety of the children first and foremost. ... The agreement will serve as a road map for the improvement of DCYF and its care of children.” The settlement lays out benchmarks that must be met by certain deadlines across the agency’s programs, beginning this year. (It does not involve the agency’s behavioral health or juvenile justice divisions.) In some instances, the agency simply must follow state laws or its own regulations, which for years apparently were ignored. The case was first brought in June 2007 by then-Child Advocate Jametta Alston and Children’s Rights Inc., whose lawyers said previously that the lawsuit’s intent was to force Rhode Island to keep promises it made to improve the system. The lawsuit had alleged that the agency inadequately investigated abuse and neglect charges and relied on unlicensed foster homes for the vulnerable children in its care. The origins of the lawsuit lie in the 2004 beating death of 3-year-old Thomas “T.J.” Wright. The boy had been beaten to death in an unlicensed foster home by his aunt and her boyfriend after he spilled milk and yogurt on a carpet. Children’s Rights Inc. has filed similar lawsuits in a dozen states. Rhode Island’s proposed agreement differs from all other settlements in that it gives DCYF autonomy — through its director, Piccola — to make the agreed-on changes, rather than requiring a court-assigned special master. — [email protected] (401) 277-7359 On Twitter: @mooneyprojo Source: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180108/ri-agrees-to-settle-lawsuit-alleging-improper-treatment-of-children-in-state-care |
| Aurora residential facility employee charged with sex assault of minor staying at center Kane County Sheriff's Office Darius Jones Darius Jones (Kane County Sheriff's Office) Hannah LeoneAurora Beacon-News Privacy Policy A Chicago man knew the Aurora resident he's charged with sexually assaulting through the private residential treatment facility where he worked in Kane County, prosecutors said Monday. Darius Jones, 38, of the 3600 block of West Montrose, is charged with three counts of criminal sexual assault, each alleging he assaulted a victim younger than 18 and at least 13 years old, over whom he held a position of trust or authority. The criminal complaint filed in Kane County Circuit Court states the sexual assaults took place between Sept. 1, 2017, and Jan. 2. The Kane County Child Advocacy Center investigated. Jones is listed in custody at the Kane County jail, where he was booked Saturday, with bail set at $150,000 with 10 percent to apply for bond. He's next due in court Friday before Kane County Circuit Judge Linda Abrahamson and has been assigned to the county public defender, records show. Conditions of Jones' bond include no contact with the alleged victim or victim's address, 998 Corporate Blvd., Aurora, which is the address of Sequel Youth Services' Northern Illinois Academy. According to the academy's website, it's an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services-licensed 75-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility for male and female children and young adults, ranging in age from 6 to 21. Residents at the facility come from Illinois and other states, and have mental illnesses, autism with mood disorders or mental illness combined with neuro-developmental delays, according to the academy's website. The academy's executive director, Carolyn Willandt, did not immediately return phone and email messages Tuesday regarding the case and Jones' employment status. [email protected] Twitter @hannahmleone Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/crime/ct-abn-sex-assault-residential-facility-st-0109-20180109-story.html |
| Lawsuit Over Drugs for Missouri's Foster Kids Proceeds A federal judge is allowing parts of a lawsuit over Missouri's use of prescription drugs for foster children to proceed. Jan. 13, 2018, at 10:51 a.m. Lawsuit Over Drugs for Missouri's Foster Kids Proceeds Share × ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal lawsuit alleging the Missouri Department of Social Services has failed foster children by prescribing psychotropic drugs and not providing proper oversight of the medications will be allowed to proceed, a federal judge ruled. Attorneys for Children's Rights, the National Center for Youth Law and Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinics filed the lawsuit in June on behalf of several Missouri children currently or formerly in foster care. They are asking a federal district judge to order Missouri to implement systemic changes to reduce the potential overprescribing of the drugs. U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey this past week preserved claims in the lawsuit alleging that the state violated foster children's due-process rights regarding medical records and prescription drug data, The Springfield News-Leader reported . She dismissed some claims related to informed consent procedures and possible violations of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act. A trial is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2019. "There are clearly plausible allegations that (the Missouri officials) ... actually knew of the serious risk of harm," Laughrey wrote. "Yet they have not adopted any systematic administrative review because (Missouri) can't find the medical records of the children. But the absence of the medical records itself creates an unreasonable risk of harm and the Defendants are aware of that risk as well." The lawsuit claims psychotropic drugs are often prescribed as "chemical straight-jackets" for some of Missouri's 13,000 foster care children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorder, even though there are few or no federally approved uses for the drugs among children. The plaintiffs also contend little research has been done on how the drugs affect children's brains and the drugs could cause dangerous side effects, such as suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit alleges that the state doesn't provide enough oversight of psychotropic medications and keeps shoddy medical records for children in foster care, making it difficult for foster parents to properly administer medications. One of the plaintiffs is a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly given up to five drugs at once, and her caregivers "had three different understandings of what daily dose of a particular psychotropic medication she was to receive, and they had no medical records to resolve the confusion," Laughrey wrote. She began acting aggressively after a prescription change, but her caregivers didn't make the correlation between her behavior and the medication change, the judge wrote. After a volunteer contacted the girl's doctor, she was taken off the medication and her aggressive behavior ended, Laughrey said. Attorney General Josh Hawley's office, which is representing the Department of Social Services, "will continue to work with DSS as the litigation moves forward," said his spokeswoman, Loree Anne Paradise. Previously, lawyers in Hawley's office contended physicians provided untimely, "low-quality" records in response to state requests. "These unsuccessful efforts are not the equivalent of criminal recklessness, particularly when the cause of failure was physician non-compliance," the state argued, and "attempts to twist these efforts into evidence of deliberate indifference strains common sense and raises the chilling possibility that state agencies should forego attempts to systematically improve for fear of constitutional liability should they not immediately succeed." ___ Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri/articles/2018-01-13/lawsuit-over-drugs-for-missouris-foster-kids-proceeds |
| Senate committee hears testimony for Foster Care Child Bill of Rights Saturday, January 13, 2018 Fostering Change: Alliance for NH Foster Parents Government 1 CONCORD, NH – On January 11, 2018 the Senators of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony from state representatives, stakeholders, child advocates, DCYF and Fostering Change: Alliance for NH Foster Parents. Members of the committee asked many thoughtful questions of each speaker to learn about the needs of foster children and to better understand the need for a Foster Care Child Bill of Rights in NH. One of the state’s foster parent associations provided the following written testimony to the committee in support of this bill. The Alliance empowers foster parents to help make changes in foster care. Our mission and who we are embodies the “assumptions, beliefs, and goals” that guide this foster care children’s bill of rights. Section I. of this bill highlights the need for children of all ages to be protected from all forms of trauma and abuse, while safeguarding “healthy growth and development.” Infants and toddlers are the most vulnerable when permanency cannot be established in a timely manner. This bill helps ensure that children will be given a permanent home as soon as possible, whether by reunification or adoption. Time is of the essence in establishing permanency within the twelve-month requirement, as stated in the Federal Adoption & Safe Families Act (ASFA, 1997). Passing this bill is important because failing to do so, increases a child’s risk for irreparable physiological and psychological damage. Children under three years of age are most susceptible, as their brains are more formable during this period of development. Trauma experts maintain that trauma is initiated by the very act of removing a child from their home. Dismissing or ignoring child growth and development theories in any permanency process imposes great harm, yet all too often this is happening in New Hampshire. A long-term foster placement compounds the likelihood of increased damage and contributes to additional trauma, especially for young children. We support Section II.b of this bill that all children, youth and adolescents need and deserve “permanency” and a life of “well-being.” The evidence-based research indicates that even toddlers who experience emotionally related trauma have difficulties learning to trust and to form secure and healthy relationships for years to come. This is absolutely preventable. SB385 captures the essential need for developmentally focused trauma informed care for children of all ages. We need you to help prevent children from being re-traumatized while in state care by passing this bill. The inclusion of 170-G:20 Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard will state that the rights of children in foster care exist within the context of the reasonable and prudent parent standards. Incorporating this language ensures that a foster parent’s observations and information about their foster child will maintain the health, safety, and best interests of that child. We’re asking the Senate Committee to vote for this bill and make it possible for children to receive the most optimal care and protection in a timely manner. Thank for your commitment to improving the quality of lives for New Hampshire’s children, youth and adolescents. NH citizens can also support the Foster Care Child Bill of Rights by signing a petition that will be used for further testimony as the bill progresses through legislation. Fostering Change: Alliance for NH Foster Parents is an independent foster parent association in the Granite State that is dedicated to improving NH’s child welfare system. They aim to give foster parents a stronger voice in child abuse and neglect cases in efforts to help children return home to safe and healthy environments. Find them on Facebook or Twitter to learn more and to help support foster care reform. Source: https://manchesterinklink.com/senate-committee-hears-testimony-for-foster-care-child-bill-of-rights/ |
| BCSO looks for possible victims of sexual assault at foster facility By KRQE News 13 Published: January 12, 2018, 5:39 pm Updated: January 12, 2018, 5:40 pm (KRQE) – Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputies are looking for possible victims after a man was arrested for raping a teen in foster care. Deputies say a 17-year-old girl came forward saying 21-year-old Servando Barriga has sexually assaulted her. Barriga’s parents run a treatment foster care facility where they say a teen was staying. Deputies say Barriga admitted to having sex with the teen and engaging in inappropriate behavior with at least one other foster child in the past. Servando has lived at the home, which has been a foster facility for about 20 years, and has had contact with foster children that whole time. If you have any information about any other victims, call BCSO. Source: http://krqe.com/2018/01/12/bcso-looks-for-possible-victims-of-sexual-assault-at-foster-facility/ |
| State worker charged with sexual contact Kim Langston Kim Langston Quill Staff Reporter Jan 15, 2018 0 Facebook Twitter Email FILE PHOTO 11 remaining of 12 Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our free content. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save Lorin Ellen Trick, 22, of West Plains, has been arrested on Texas County charges of sexual contact with a student and sexual conduct with a prisoner or offender by a probation or parole officer or employee of a jail, prison or correctional facility. Both charges are felonies. Trick was employed with the Gentry Residential Treatment Center in Cabool, a juvenile detention center operated by the Missouri Division of Family Services. She was arrested at 4:36 p.m. Friday in West Plains and transferred to Texas County Jail at about 6:50 p.m. As of Monday morning, Trick remains jailed in Texas County with $250,000 bail, according to the Texas County Sheriff’s Department. More details of the charges are unavailable due to government offices being closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Source: https://www.westplainsdailyquill.net/news/local/article_db33d4b0-fa41-11e7-ab8b-f7753fccfb2c.html |
| Expensive 'scientifically proven' scheme to support troubled teens across UK makes them MORE likely to commit crime Around 30 councils and health trusts across Britain use multisystemic therapy Workers in children's services, mental health and youth offending have been trained in the programmed which sees them provide 24-hour support Supporters of MST say the scheme saves money by reducing the likelihood of a teenager being placed in care and youth custody in the long term But this claim appears to be in stark contrast to a study by DoE and DoH By Anthony Joseph for MailOnline Published: 06:01 EST, 17 January 2018 | Updated: 06:19 EST, 17 January 2018An expensive 'scientifically proven' scheme to support troubled teenagers across the UK makes them more likely to commit a crime, a study has found. Around 30 councils and health trusts across Britain use multisystemic therapy (MST) to tackle anti-social behaviour by those aged 11 to 17. Workers in children's services, mental health and youth offending have been trained in the programmed which sees them provide 24-hour support, for around three to five months. +2 Copy link to paste in your message Around 30 councils and health trusts across Britain use multisystemic therapy (MST) to tackle anti-social behaviour by those aged 11 to 17 Supporters of MST say the scheme saves money by reducing the likelihood of a teenager being placed in care in the long term. But this claim appears to be in stark contrast to a study, which was funded by the Department for Education and Department of Health. The trial tracked 684 families with a troubled child, half of whom were assigned to MST and half who were given conventional support, according to The Times. The results, published by Lancet Psychiatry, found after 18 months that 43 young people from the group given MST (13 per cent) were taken into care or custody compared with 36 from the control group (11 per cent). The report concluded: 'The findings do not support that multisystemic therapy should be used over management as usual as the intervention of choice for adolescents with moderate to severe antisocial behaviour. 'The medium-term gain from multisystemic therapy relative to management as usual was limited in terms of effect on antisocial behaviour, with some suggestion that multisystemic therapy led to an increased risk of criminal activity in individuals who were fairly low-risk in terms of the factors assessed in this study.' +2 Copy link to paste in your message Workers in children's services, mental health and youth offending have been trained in the programmed which sees them provide 24-hour support, for around three to five months Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5278873/Scheme-support-teens-makes-likely-offend.html#ixzz54V37sXhy Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook |
| Government Watchdog Warns Of Group Home Dangers by Michelle Diament | January 18, 2018 A staffer at a group home lifts a resident from her bed. A new federal report finds that change is needed to improve the health and safety of group home residents. (Tyson Trish/The Record/TNS) FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestEmail Injuries, serious medical conditions and even deaths of those with developmental disabilities living in group homes often are not looked into and go unreported, federal investigators say. An audit of three states found that officials routinely failed to follow up on incidents ranging from head lacerations to loss of life in violation of federal and state policy. The issues are believed to be systemic affecting people with developmental disabilities residing in group homes across the country. That’s according to a joint report issued Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Administration on Community Living and Office for Civil Rights, which is recommending policy changes. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below The report stems from a 2013 request by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who was alarmed by newspaper reports of widespread abuse and neglect of group home residents in his state. After the inspector general’s office found serious problems in its review of Connecticut, the office conducted similar audits of Massachusetts and Maine. In each state, investigators identified emergency room visits from group home residents, then determined if the incidents were reported to the state and, if so, what action the state took. The inspector general’s office found that group homes often failed to report incidents to state officials. But even when states knew, up to 99 percent went unreported to law enforcement or other authorities for investigation. “Each state was somewhat unique, but what was similar across the states was that there were gaps in policies and procedures so that when an incident occurred, they could make sure that it was identified, investigated, corrected and reported,” said Megan Tinker, senior advisor for legal review at the Office of Inspector General and an author of the report. Aside from the three states that were audited, investigators said that recent media reports from 49 states citing health and safety problems in group homes suggest the issues are pervasive. The Office of Inspector General has additional audits underway or planned in another six states, Tinker said. Citing the “magnitude of the danger for beneficiaries,” the Office of Inspector General worked with the Administration for Community Living and the HHS Office for Civil Rights and other federal entities to develop recommendations for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and states to address the holes in existing policies and procedures. The report released this week is a culmination of that work and includes model practices for states to develop better oversight. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should take steps to help states address problems by forming a “SWAT” team and taking action when problems are identified in order to ensure the safety of group home residents, the recommendations indicate. “CMS is working directly with the three states specifically examined by the OIG, and is working with department partners to distribute tools, information and any other necessary assistance to all states to ensure that quality care is being provided to all Medicaid beneficiaries,” the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a statement to Disability Scoop. “The suggestions found in this report are being carefully examined for further action by the agency.” Despite the problems identified, Tinker said many group homes are great places. “If people are looking at a group home for their loved ones, we think it’s important to spend time at the group home and to ask questions and make sure it has the right policies and procedures in place,” she said. “What do they do if something goes wrong?” Source: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/18/government-group-home-dangers/24603/ |
| California abuse case sparks calls for home-schooling oversight Chris Kenning 4 Min Read (Reuters) - Lawmakers and advocacy groups are calling for more oversight of home-schooling after a California couple using this method of education was charged with torturing their 13 children. FILE PHOTO: News media gather outside the home of David Allen and Louise Anna Turpin in Perris, California, U.S., January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo The number of U.S. children educated at home has doubled to about 1.7 million, or 3 percent of the nation’s school-age population, from 1999, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Sponsored Even so, most states do not require inspections or in-person testing that could help uncover abusive situations, said the Massachusetts-based Coalition for Responsible Home Education. More than 380 cases of severe or fatal child neglect have occurred since 2000 in families involved in home-schooling, according to the group. “We would not say abuse is more common among home-schoolers, but when it does occur, there are fewer safeguards, less to stop it from spinning out of control,” said Executive Director Rachel Coleman. The organization has called for requiring annual contacts by outside officials and background checks for parents who run home schools. Some home-schooling groups oppose these measures. David Turpin, a 57-year-old engineer, and his wife, Louise, will go before a judge on Thursday. They are charged with nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment in connection to their children, aged 2 to 29. Police said they found the children in filthy conditions, some shackled to their beds, when a 17-year-old girl escaped and called 911. In this case, the father had registered his house as the private Sandcastle Day School and listed himself as the principal. His children were the only students. Turpin’s parents told ABC News that the children would memorize long passages of the Bible. Neighbors said they were rarely seen outside the home. The California Department of Education said it was “sickened” by the incident but, by law, it was not authorized to monitor, oversee or inspect such schools. Parents running private home schools only have to register with the state. A combination photo of David Allen Turpin (L) and Louise Ann Turpin as they appear in booking photos provided by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in Riverside County, California, U.S., January 15, 2018. Riverside County Sheriff's Department/Handout via REUTERS “My first thought was: How did this many kids get lost in the system?” said Sherryll Kraizer, founder of the Coalition for Children, an advocacy group. “One of the things that was interesting was he set up his own home school so the kids were accounted for and not really seen by anybody.” ‘LACK OF OVERSIGHT’ The Virginia-based Home School Legal Defense Association said states do not mandate welfare or safety visits at home schools. Coleman said most home-school regulations focus on educational testing, with only a few states, including New York, requiring in-person contact with educators or others. “I am extremely concerned about the lack of oversight the State of California currently has in monitoring private and home schools,” said Assemblyman Jose Medina, who represents Perris, the town where the Turpins live. The state politician said in a statement on Wednesday that he was looking into introducing legislation for oversight but did not provide further details. Mandatory contacts with outside health or education workers could help, Coleman said. She also said more states could adopt laws such as those in Pennsylvania, which does not allow home-schooling by those convicted of violent crimes, and Arkansas, which bars it when a registered sex offender resides in the home. But Home School Legal Defense Association President Mike Smith said his association opposes new regulations. “Should all the innocent home-school families, who do a great job, should they be intruded upon because of this family?” he said. “I think the answer is no.” Past efforts to regulate home schools have faced fierce resistance from groups that in recent decades have also rolled back rules, said Chris Lubienski, an Indiana University education professor. More accountability can be balanced with parental rights, Lubienski said. “I think people would agree we all have a responsibility for the kids like (the Turpins).” Reporting by Chris Kenning in Chicago; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Ben Klayman and Lisa Von Ahn Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-captives-homeschool/california-abuse-case-sparks-calls-for-home-schooling-oversight-idUSKBN1F721R |
| Juvenile runaways from Provo treatment facility lead police on high-speed chase in stolen car Posted 5:18 pm, January 18, 2018, by Mark Green, Updated at 06:52AM, January 19, 2018 Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Email Juvenile runaways from Provo treatment facility lead police on high-speed chase in stolen car UTAH COUNTY — Police say three juveniles who ran away from a treatment facility in Provo stole a car and led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash in Spanish Fork Canyon Tuesday night. According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, police attempted to make a traffic stop near Center and Main streets in Spanish Fork around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday. The suspects fled and a pursuit ensued that went down Center Street and continued onto SR-6 and into Spanish Fork Canyon. The suspects fled at speeds in excess of 110 mph. Police say the suspects drove into oncoming traffic during the pursuit and eventually lost control and crashed the vehicle near mile marker 186 on SR-6. Two teens, ages 16 and 17, fled the scene on foot while a 13-year-old remained in the car. The other two juveniles were taken into custody about 30 minutes later after officers using infrared located them on the hillside. Police later determined the three juveniles were reported as runaways from a residential treatment facility in Provo around 8 p.m. Tuesday night. The boys told police they stole the car from a parking lot in an industrial complex west of Geneva Road in Orem. The owner of the car, who was working at the time, didn’t know his car had been stolen until police contacted him. The vehicle is considered a total loss. Police say the 16-year-old initially stole the car but later switched places so that the 17-year-old was driving during the chase. Police say the teens planned to drive to Las Vegas. Authorities say the 13-year-old boy didn’t want to be involved in the car theft or the chase, and they said the teen tried to stop the older boys. The older boys were treated at a hospital for injuries they suffered while tumbling down an embankment after the crash, and afterward they were booked into a detention center. The 13-year-old was returned to the residential treatment facility. Source: http://fox13now.com/2018/01/18/juvenile-runaways-from-provo-treatment-facility-lead-police-on-high-speed-chase-in-stolen-car/ |
| DMN Investigates: Troubled Timberlawn psychiatric hospital is closing before the state can shut it down Filed under Investigations at 23 hrs ago Share Facebook Twitter Email Written by Sue Ambrose Sarah Mervosh Miles Moffeit Get Daily Dallas News Headlines Don't miss a story. Like us on Facebook. Like Dallas News' Facebook Page Get Unlimited Digital Access Your first month is less than a dollar. $0.99for first 4 weeks Subscribe Now Timberlawn psychiatric hospital says it is voluntarily closing its doors, just a week after state officials threatened to shut down the century-old treatment center because it was too dangerous for patients. “Our intention to close Timberlawn comes after completing a comprehensive, careful review,” chief executive James Miller wrote Thursday in a letter to staff obtained by The Dallas Morning News. He later issued a similar statement to The News, saying that the hospital’s owners had decided to shutter it in December, before the state threatened to yank its license and fine it $600,000. Timberlawn is appealing those sanctions. It’s unclear exactly when the last patient will leave Timberlawn, which was once a premier mental health facility but in recent years has had safety problems, including sexual assaults. An employee who answered the phone Thursday said the hospital was still accepting new patients. Timberlawn Closure Letter 1 18 2018 DocumentCloud Contributed to DocumentCloud by Sarah Mervosh of The Dallas Morning News • View document Miller told federal health officials that the hospital will close on Feb. 1, or as soon after that as possible, said Bob Moos, a Dallas spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Timberlawn is responsible for transferring patients to other hospitals, according to Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Only 15 of the hospital's 144 beds are currently filled, she said. Miller cited a decreased patient population as one reason for the hospital’s closure, along with the increasing availability of beds at other facilities and the cost to refurbish aging buildings on the Timberlawn campus, most of which are vacant. He also said management is confident that Timberlawn has fixed its safety problems and now complies with federal regulations, though the results of the latest government inspection on Jan. 10 were not yet available. As The News has detailed, children and adults trying to recover from trauma, depression or other mental conditions have gone to the hospital in East Dallas for help -- and found danger instead. In 2014, a suicidal woman was left alone and killed herself. In 2015, a woman reported she was raped by another patient. And last fall, a 13-year-old girl who was a victim of past sexual abuse reported that a another teen patient came into her room one night and raped her. The News does not typically name victims of sexual assault. Inspectors found that on a night when there was just one mental health aide to watch 16 kids, the 17-year-old boy slipped into the girl’s room unnoticed. The two were placed in rooms next to each other, despite the fact that a doctor had warned the boy needed to be watched for sexual aggression. At the time, the hospital was on probation with state health officials for its previous breakdowns in care. The company that owns Timberlawn, Universal Health Services Inc., is the largest operator of mental health facilities in the country -- and is facing a slew of government investigations, including a federal criminal fraud probe. Since 2012, the company has closed two residential treatment centers for adolescents, in Virginia and Illinois, that faced regulatory sanctions. Last August, Massachusetts regulators closed Westwood Lodge hospital after a long series of problems involving safety and patient care. Universal Health Services Inc., which owns Timberlawn, is facing a slew of government investigations, including a federal criminal fraud probe. (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) Universal Health owns at least five other mental health hospitals in North Texas, according to its website: Hickory Trail Hospital in DeSoto, Millwood Hospital in Arlington, University Behavioral Health of Denton; Mayhill Hospital, also in Denton; and Garland Behavioral Hospital. A 2016 data analysis by The News found that of 154 Universal Health hospitals, more than a quarter were plagued by serious safety problems. A spokeswoman for Universal Health did not respond to multiple requests for comment Thursday. As Timberlawn's safety problems have worsened over the last three years, its role in the Dallas-area mental health network has faded. It had been one of the few hospitals to treat large numbers of children and teenagers, but other facilities with a broader range of medical services are now taking in more of those patients, Dallas mental health experts say. "Timberlawn represented a century-and-a-half-old model of care that we really don't need,'' said Andy Keller, chief executive officer of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in Dallas. The state oversees more than a dozen standalone psychiatric facilities in North Texas. Some general hospitals also have psychiatric units. Colette Riel, whose sister committed suicide at Timberlawn in 2014, said she was glad that the hospital’s closure means no one else will get hurt at Timberlawn. Her sister, 37-year-old Brittney Bennetts, was known to be suicidal when staff left her alone; she hanged herself on doorknobs that the hospital knew posed a risk. But Timberlawn’s closure is just “a drop in the bucket,” Riel said. “What about the parent company that owns all of these hospitals nationwide and their record and recklessness?” Source: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2018/01/18/dmn-investigates-troubled-timberlawn-psychiatric-hospital-closing-before-state-can-shut |
| Concerns remain over Southington proposal to limit police calls Concerns remain over Southington proposal to limit police calls Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. Police have been called to the facility on several occasions. The five-bedroom, two-bath house is one of four short-term assessment and respite homes operated by Bridge Family Center of West Hartford. Dave Zajac, Record-Journal January 18, 2018 06:17PM By Jesse Buchanan, Record-Journal staff Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+ Email Facebook Twitter Google+ Email SOUTHINGTON — Town leaders have doubts about a new ordinance that would levy fines for excessive police calls, saying it could discourage legitimate calls for help without curtailing activity at a group home on Birchcrest Drive that prompted the law under consideration. Neighbors and town officials have complained that police are frequently called to the group home for runaway children and other problems. The town’s Ordinance Review Committee is considering fines for excessive police calls, but has struggled in drafting the details. Lingering issues include defining an excessive number of calls, and whether fines could create legal liability for the town. Committee members said group home workers are required by state law to notify authorities when problems arise and that fines wouldn’t keep them from calling. Cheryl Lounsbury, a former town councilor and committee chairwoman, said she wants to continue collecting data on the subject but has doubts that the proposed law will solve the problems at Birchcrest, and could even create new ones. “I don’t believe in making laws that you can’t enforce,” she said. “I can’t see putting in a law you can’t enforce.” Advertisement At an ordinance committee meeting Wednesday, Town Attorney Carolyn Futtner said the town could be sued if a resident didn’t call due to fear of fines and suffered harm because they didn’t get police help. Even if the level of excessive calls were set high enough so most people wouldn’t hit them, Lounsbury said residents may still be hesitant to call. She’s worried about seniors, disabled residents, and victims of domestic abuse, all groups that could require frequent police help. The Birchcrest Drive home provides around-the-clock supervision for girls who have been removed from a home by the state Department of Children and Families or who don't have a home. Most often they're sent into foster care in two months or less. Bridge Family Center, the home’s operator, is a DCF subcontractor. Deputy Police Chief William Palmieri presented information at this week’s meeting showing calls from the home have decreased in recent months. Patricia Queen, a Board of Education and ordinance committee member, said The Bridge , as the home is called, has added staff, including a 20-hour per week therapist. “There have been changes made at the group home that may or may not be able to help the situation,” Queen said. “It certainly seems to have some positive effects.” She shared some of Lounsbury’s concerns about the proposal for fines and questioned whether it would improve the situation. Several neighbors who attended an ordinance committee meeting last month urged the committee to implement fines. Lounsbury said she’s talked to area residents who have noticed things improving and are pleased with changes made by The Bridge. Others are still unhappy. “Nothing will satisfy them except the house going away,” Lounsbury said. Queen was glad that neighbors came forward, saying they shed light on a situation that needed to be addressed both for the neighborhood’s quality of life and for the girls at the group home. “These neighbors are shining a light on a problem in this house that DCF needs to address,” she said. “These are children in this house.” Police, neighbors, town leaders, and Bridge officials began meeting regularly during the summer. Queen and Lounsbury said this communication has helped the situation. The ordinance committee will take up the excessive calls proposal in April. Lounsbury said she’d like to give the issue a few months to determine if police calls continue to drop. [email protected] 203-317-2230 Twitter: @JBuchananRJ Source: http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Southington-ordinance-committee-considers-fines-for-too-many-police-calls.html |
| 12-Year-Old Girl Found Dead at DC Boarding School "It's really sad that at 12 years old you feel like the only solution is to take your life" By Pat Collins and Andrea Swalec Published 4 hours ago | Updated 14 minutes ago A 12-year-old girl was found dead Tuesday inside a boarding school in Washington D.C. The body of the child, a seventh-grader, was found at The SEED Public Charter School of Washington (SEED DC), police said. Her death is being investigated as an apparent suicide, police sources tell News4. Parents at the school were called and told to pick up their children. Keana Bedney-Wallace, the parent of another student at the school, spoke outside the school about the tragedy. Child Found Dead at DC Charter School A 12-year-old girl was found dead in a boarding school in D.C. after an apparent suicide, police sources say. News4's Pat Collins has the developing story. (Published 3 hours ago) "It's really sad that at 12 years old you feel like the only solution is to take your life. It's heartbreaking," she said. "I'm a mom of five, and I couldn't imagine. I pray for the family, that they get through this." D.C. police responded to the school on the 4300 block of C Street SE, near East Capitol Street, for a report of an unconscious person. The child was found dead in her dorm room. The parents of two students at the school told News4 their children told them the girl had been bullied. The school did not respond to an inquiry about whether the child had been bullied. Earlier in the day, the school issued a brief statement. "We are deeply saddened to report that a SEED DC student unexpectedly passed away this morning. This is of course a terrible tragedy for the family first and foremost, as well as for the entire SEED Community," the statement said. "We ask that you respect the privacy of the family and of our community of scholars and teachers in their mourning." Opened in 1998, SEED DC is a public, college-preparatory boarding school that serves 370 students in grades six through 12. Ninety-one percent of its graduates have enrolled in college, and 80 percent are first-generation college students, the school's website says. Source: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/12-Year-Old-Girl-Found-Dead-at-DC-Boarding-School-470755333.html |
| I-Team: Drug rehab center bills patient's insurance nearly $1,000 a day for drug testing High billing could drive up health insurance rates Adam Walser 11:23 PM, Jan 22, 2018 11:10 AM, Jan 23, 2018 Share Article x Point of care drug tests that identify marijuana, cocaine, opiates and methamphetamine are available for less than $20, with a 99 percent accuracy rate. But one Tampa Bay area drug rehab billed patients' insurance plans $1,200 for initial tests, then $3,400 to confirm results. One patient was billed more than $30,000 for drug testing in just 31 days. Point of care drug tests that identify marijuana, cocaine, opiates and methamphetamine are available for less than $20, with a 99 percent accuracy rate. But one Tampa Bay area drug rehab billed patients' insurance plans $1,200 for initial tests, then $3,400 to confirm results. One patient was billed more than $30,000 for drug testing in just 31 days. RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Residential drug treatment centers are doing big business as the opioid epidemic continues to grows. Facilities routinely charge patients' insurance thousands of dollars a day for treatment. But the ABC Action News I-Team uncovered not all of those charges are justified and may be helping to drive up insurance rates for everyone. “I went on a bender. By the time it was done, I was in handcuffs in the back of a sheriff's car,” said Rachel, a registered nurse from Florida’s East Coast who didn't want to give her last name because she worries it might affect her job. Rachel sought help last year, after years of substance abuse and depression issues. High school teacher arrested for sending nude photos to 15-year-old boy she met through Xbox One “A 1-800 number popped up on the internet and I said 'alright, call it,'" she said. The number belonged to American Addiction Centers (AAC) which is one of the nation's biggest rehab companies. “They have a team that looks for clients. They have a 1-800 number that's always ready to go,” said retired sheriff’s deputy Michael Isom, who is the former Transportation Manager for River Oaks Treatment Center in Riverview — one of three Florida-based AAC facilities. “The most important thing are the numbers. Keep the money coming in,” said Isom. “That was the biggest thing, was do you have insurance?” Rachel said, describing her call with a company representative. “I gave them my id number, my group number and everything. And they were like 'hey, we can take you.'" Rachel said they arranged to send an Uber to pick her up and transport her to River Oaks within hours of the call. At River Oaks, AAC billed her insurance, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, more than $30,000 for drug tests in just 31 days. AAC says it is their policy to test patients on their arrival, 48-hours later, randomly and whenever they leave and return to the facility. RECOMMENDED: Read more I-Team Investigation stories “We take them out for a haircut which is right across the street, they got to come back and do a urinalysis,” said Isom. “I take 20 out, they got to come back and do a urinalysis. All this is getting billed.” What is called a “point of care” drug test is readily available over the counter and tests that screen for marijuana, opium, cocaine and methamphetamines boast 99-percent accuracy rates and cost less than $20. One purchased by the I-Team at Wal-Mart includes free confirmatory lab testing for positive results. Healthcare Bluebook says the fair price for a professional drug screening in Tampa is $152. This type of test is conducted in a doctor’s office, a hospital or a lab. Source: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/i-team-drug-rehab-center-bills-patients-insurance-nearly-1000-a-day-for-drug-testing |
| Drug treatment center had more than 400 calls to 911 in 2 years Staff alleges rehab unprepared for emergencies Adam Walser 6:41 PM, Jan 23, 2018 Share Article x River Oaks Residential Treatment Center has more than 400 calls to 911 in two years. Former staff member and patient say when administrative staff left for the day, remaining employees were not always able to keep control of patients or address emergencies. Center charges patients' insurance tens-of-thousands of dollars for treatment. Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. River Oaks Residential Treatment Center has more than 400 calls to 911 in two years. Former staff member and patient say when administrative staff left for the day, remaining employees were not always able to keep control of patients or address emergencies. Center charges patients' insurance tens-of-thousands of dollars for treatment. RIVERVIEW, Fla. — The I-Team reported how River Oaks Residential Treatment Center in Riverview billed patients' insurance policies tens-of-thousands of dollars for frequent drug tests, potentially driving up insurance costs. But that’s not the only issue there. A former patient and a former manager says there are concerns about staffing levels, that can affect patient safety there. “We don't have any fences. No fences. They can come and go as they please,” said former River Oaks Treatment Center Transportation and Security Director Mike Isom. High school teacher arrested for sending nude photos to 15-year-old boy she met through Xbox One Isom said he often had to pick up patients who wandered away. “It is very frustrating,” Isom said. The 140-bed center, owned by American Addiction Centers, one of the nation’s biggest rehab companies, charges patients' insurance tens-of-thousands of dollars for abstinence-based treatment. But Isom says many patients didn't play by the rules. “They would just walk out, walk down the street. Walk right here to the 7-11 go in there, pop a cold one. Pop a cold 40,” he said. Former patient Rachel says other patients bragged about using drugs or alcohol. “We all knew and we knew the ones who did it. They had no shame in saying I ran down to the gas station, I got me some 4 Locos,” she said. Records show there were 433 911 calls from River Oaks in less than two years. Most were made at night, on weekends or during holidays, when most administrative staff was gone. Calls included medical emergencies, assaults, mentally ill patients and missing persons. “It would really make me angry. Because I’m legitimately here trying to get coping mechanisms to help me get sober, and this was not conducive to that,” Rachel said. River Oaks declined an interview, but said in a statement "We have worked extensively to reduce our impact and use of these services." “Outside of the administrative staff, River Oaks is similarly staffed on evenings and weekends as compared to weekday shifts. This includes a team of RNs, LPNs, Therapists, Case Managers, BHTs, BHT Supervisors and a Nurse Manager. Physicians and other Medical Providers are also onsite 7 days per week. Key administrative staff also provide 7-day, 24-hour on call coverage,” the statement said. But Isom says River Oaks often didn't have doctors or psychiatric staff after hours to handle mental health emergencies. “They're psychotic. They're out of their mind when they come off that plane,” he said. “They're coming from all across the country.” In December 2016, a patient from Illinois was detained for causing a disturbance at Tampa International Airport when he arrived at 1:30 a.m. Isom says surveillance video at River Oaks showed he was agitated when he arrived there an hour later. “You can see the client, along with the behavioral tech, walking up and down the hallway. You can see how stressed he was,” Isom said. A report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says that at 3:15 a.m., the patient walked out of admissions building, followed by an employee in a golf cart. That employee watched him step in front of a moving vehicle on Boyette Road, which struck and killed him. The patient's family has hired an attorney. River Oaks said, in a statement, “While we cannot discuss any specific individual due to federal confidentiality laws, we can share that the administrative rule under which we operate sets forth our coverage obligations… each facility shall have a physician on call at all times to address medical problems and to provide emergency medical services. River Oaks meets or exceeds all of its staffing requirements.” If you have information you’d like to share with the I-Team about your experience with residential drug treatment, please contact us here. Source: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/drug-treatment-center-had-more-than-400-calls-to-911-in-2-years |
| Rhode Island Child Advocate Slams Group Home Agency Rhode Island's child advocate says the state should cut ties with a group home in Pawtucket because it provides substandard care. Jan. 24, 2018, at 12:15 p.m. Rhode Island Child Advocate Slams Group Home Agency Share × Share on Facebook Post on Twitter Post to Reddit Email Share in LinkedIn Share on StumbleUpon Share on Google Plus PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The state should cut ties with a group home in Pawtucket due to its substandard car, Rhode Island's child advocate said Tuesday. Jennifer Griffith released a report recommending state welfare officials stop placements to the Blackstone Valley Youth and Family Collaborative. Griffith's report follows the indictment of former Blackstone counselor Reysean Williams, who prosecutors say used the company's van to operate a sex ring. Williams' attorney said Wednesday that his client denies involvement in sex trafficking. Blackstone operates two homes in Pawtucket for up to nine male youths, ages 16 to 21 years old. Griffith's report says Blackstone failed to report drug and alcohol abuse by residents and violence. It also reportedly uses banned aversion therapy. Griffith says the cooperative didn't monitor residents and provided false documents. "I cannot find one strength in this program," she said Wednesday, calling the care "substandard and unacceptable." ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads Blackstone's Executive Director Daniel Brito didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Williams is the longtime boyfriend of Brito's niece, according to the Office of the Child Advocate. The report also alleges that sexual offending youth were placed with developmentally disabled and non-offending youth and that more than 90 percent of the employees do not meet the minimum requirements for working with youth in the care of the Department of Children, Youth and Families. Griffith said she will discuss the report with the DCYF director, who would decide whether to discontinue placements to the cooperative. Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rhode-island/articles/2018-01-24/rhode-island-child-advocate-slams-group-home-agency |
| Berea man indicted for abuse occurring at group home for disabled children, adults Register Staff Report Jan 25, 2018 A Berea man has been indicted by a Lee County grand jury on abuse charges. Jason Brennan, 34, no address or image available, is accused of physically assaulting a patient when he worked at a home for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The indictment, returned Jan. 19, alleges that in May 2017, Brennan entered an adult resident's room, held the resident against a wall by his neck and slapped him across the face, according to a press release from the Kentucky Attorney General's office. Brennan was indicted on a class C felony charge of knowingly abusing or neglecting an adult. If convicted, he could be sentenced to five to 10 years. The indictment comes after an investigation by AG Andy Beshear's Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse with assistance from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Adult Protective Services, the press release states. The tip line for reporting allegations of patient abuse, neglect and exploitation (877-ABUSE-TIP) is available 24 hours. Brennan's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 16 in Lee Circuit Court. An indictment does not indicate guilt, only that grand jurors believe the state has enough evidence to proceed with prosecution. Source: http://www.richmondregister.com/news/berea-man-indicted-for-abuse-occurring-at-group-home-for/article_4c652eca-0228-11e8-b0f8-07a16ed8e180.html |
| Two young women with disabilities sexually assaulted at Minnesota group home Two victims, both 20, had disabilities that kept them from reporting the attacks. By Chris Serres Star Tribune January 29, 2018 — 4:38pm Patrick Arthur Jansen, 58, an overnight staff member at a Sauk Rapids group home, has been charged with assaulting two female clients with disabilities. He has admitted to having sexual contact with them more than 300 times. Text size share tweet email Print more Share on:Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Share on Pinterest Copy shortlink: Purchase: Order Reprint A male caregiver who worked the overnight shift at a Sauk Rapids group home has been charged with sexually assaulting two female residents who were unable to report the assaults because of their disabilities. Police believe the abuse occurred over an extended period of time last year, and that the two women, both 20, could have been victimized "as many as 300 times," according to a state investigation issued last week by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Patrick Arthur Jansen, 58, told police that the sexual contact was done "to make them happy" and "enrich their lives." Benton County Attorney Philip Miller called the incidents "horrific" and said even the investigating officers were upset. "It's deeply troubling because of the vulnerability of the victims," Miller said. The two victims are diagnosed with autism and were not able to report the abuse because they have limited verbal skills and were not able to defend themselves, according to the state report. The women were residents at a four-person group home operated by Dungarvin in Sauk Rapids and are not identified in the reports. More than 14,000 Minnesotans live in such group homes, where they are particularly vulnerable to neglect and abuse, according to a 2015 Star Tribune investigation. Many of these homes are in remote rural settings, placing residents hours away from relatives and friends who might assist with their care and check on their well-being. Jansen has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct, both felonies, and is being held at the Benton County jail in Foley. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Tuesday. A spokeswoman for Dungarvin, a Mendota Heights company that provides housing and other supports to people with disabilities in 14 states, declined to comment on specifics of the case, citing privacy concerns. In November, staff at the Dungarvin home noticed that one of the two victims was behaving abnormally, according to the state report. The woman, who had no previous history of destructive behavior, ripped up two of her pajama pants and stopped organizing her toys as she had previously done, group home staff told state investigators. Weeks later, a staff member entered the home at night to retrieve a phone and discovered Jansen sitting on a mattress in the living room with the second victim. Later, Jansen boasted that he planned to take one of the two women on a trip with him to Mexico. Concerned by the strange conduct, the staff member spied on Jansen one night through the group home's bedroom windows. He spotted Jansen touching one of the women inappropriately and immediately called 911 from his cellphone while standing outside the home. When officers from the Sauk Rapids Police Department arrived near midnight, they found the victim touching Jansen's upper thigh and feeding him ice cream with a spoon while sitting with him on a mattress. He was immediately arrested. Jansen admitted to police that his relationship with the two women "had been getting progressively more intimate" over time, according to the criminal complaint. He told police, "It was only meant to make them happy, enrich their lives too. ... How would you feel if you couldn't experience love or romance your whole life?" Jansen ultimately admitted having sexual contact, including digital penetration and oral sex, with both women on multiple occasions, according to the criminal complaint. State investigators found the facility was single-staffed during the overnight hours, which meant that Jansen was the sole employee in the home between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. As part of his job, Jansen slept on a mattress on the living room floor down the hallway from the two women's bedrooms. DHS has disqualified Jansen from providing direct care under state-licensed programs. The home completed an internal review and determined that its policies and procedures were not followed. Nationally, the rate of serious violent crime, including rape, robbery and aggravated assault, for persons with disabilities is more than three times the rate for persons without disabilities. One in five violent crime victims with disabilities believed they were targeted due to their disability, according to a report last year from the U.S. Department of Justice. Nancy Fitzsimons, a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and chairwoman of a state committee on abuse of vulnerable adults, said the Sauk Rapids case illuminates the need for greater public awareness of violence against people with disabilities. Group home residents, she said, should receive training on how to identify inappropriate behavior and report abuse. "This abuse went on far too long," Fitzsimons said. "If people have limited verbal skills, we need to give them more effective ways to communicate when they are harmed." Source: http://www.startribune.com/two-young-women-with-disabilities-sexually-assaulted-at-minnesota-group-home/471646883/ |
| Man admits to assaulting two students at former Berkshire County school January 29, 2018 07:20 PM A man from Watervliet pleaded guilty on Monday to assaulting two students at the former Eagleton School in Berkshire County. Isaac Harris-El was sentenced to one-year probation and several other charges against him were dismissed. Advertisement – Content Continues Below The Eagleton School closed in 2016 after Massachusetts revoked its license. Harris-El was among several employees accused of abuse at the residential treatment center for boys with emotional and behavioral problems. Source: http://wnyt.com/news/man-admits-to-assaulting-two-students-at-former-eagleton-school-berkshire-county/4763603/ |
| Boarding school teacher fired over student relationship Originally published January 30, 2018 at 11:42 am Updated January 30, 2018 at 1:12 pm Share story By The Associated Press The Associated Press POMFRET, Conn. (AP) — A teacher has been fired from a private school in Massachusetts over allegations he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of his students at the Connecticut boarding school where he taught previously, school officials said Tuesday. The teacher, John Becker, was accused of having the relationship with a student at Connecticut’s Pomfret School, where he taught for four years through last spring. The Northfield Mount Hermon school, where Becker began teaching in the fall, said in a letter to the school community that Becker was fired Friday after it learned of the allegations. School head Peter Fayroian said that Becker denied having a sexual relationship with the girl but that its investigation found he had crossed boundaries. The head of the Pomfret School, J. Timothy Richards, said it had no information about such a relationship before he learned of the allegation from the Massachusetts school. The school has hired an outside investigator, he said. Connecticut state police are also investigating. Becker did not respond to a phone message seeking comment. The Pomfret School disclosed in 2016 that an independent investigation had found four teachers likely engaged in sexual misconduct as far back as the early 1970s. In response, the school stepped up teacher training on sexual harassment. “This news is particularly shocking to me given the amount of attention that Pomfret has directed over the past few years to teacher training around sexual harassment and maintaining appropriate boundaries,” Richards said in a letter to the school community. “Like all employees, Mr. Becker participated in this training, which makes this matter all the more troubling.” A background check Northfield Mount Hermon did before hiring Becker did not turn up any related issues, Fayroian said, and the school is currently speaking with students who were connected with Becker in case any boundaries were crossed with them. Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/boarding-school-teacher-fired-over-student-relationship/ |
| Ex-Tucson group home worker gets 8 years in prison for child porn By Caitlin Schmidt Arizona Daily Star Caitlin Schmidt Jan 29, 2018 Updated 9 hrs ago Facebook Twitter Email Taylor Ray Freeman Courtesy of Pima County Sheriff’s Department Facebook Twitter Email Print Save A former employee at a Tucson foster group home will be spending the next eight years in prison and be subjected to state supervision for the rest of his life, a federal judge ruled Monday. Taylor Ray Freeman, 28, was arrested last February after he told an undercover police officer in Australia that he was sexually interested in children and had explicit photos available for trade. Freeman sent an image to the officer, and Homeland Security agents traced it back to his Tucson home, arresting him on federal charges of distribution and possession of child pornography. In June, he accepted a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which agreed to drop the distribution charge if Freeman pleaded guilty to the two counts of possession. Freeman was facing prison time ranging from 60 to 136 months. In court Monday, U.S. District Court Judge James Soto said authorities downloaded more than 440 images and videos from Freeman’s computer and cellphone. While his attorney, Nicki DiCampli, said she was not objecting to the term recommendation by Adult Probation Services, she said she didn’t find the calculation reasonable. “No one can dispute that those images are horrendous, and no child should be put through that,” DiCampli said “The maximum sentence seems unreasonable based on the plea and who my client was.” DiCampli argued that Freeman had no criminal history and supported his ex-girlfriend and their young son. Freeman had an addiction to pornography that resulted in his becoming desensitized to the explicit images of children that would “pop up” on his computer when he accessed regular pornography sites, DiCampli said. Freeman’s court-ordered psychosexual exam determined that he was at a moderate level to re-offend, DiCampli said. “He’s not trying to blame anyone else. He made these choices,” she said. “But he needed help.” Advertisement Play Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Stream TypeLIVE Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 00:00 Fullscreen 00:00 Unmute Playback Rate 1 Subtitles subtitles off Captions captions off Chapters Chapters Freeman also addressed Soto, his shoulders hunched over as he spoke into the microphone, taking long pauses between each sentence. “I’m disturbed by my own actions and I’m ashamed,” he said. “I was just so lost.” Soto’s brow was furrowed throughout Freeman’s statement, during which he wavered between accepting responsibility and detaching himself from the situation. “None of it was real at the time. I was falling into this fictional pattern and detaching from it,” he said. “I never want to be put in this situation again.” Soto interjected. “Let’s be clear. You put yourself into the situation,” he said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carin Duryee said Freeman was not an unintelligent guy and that it seemed like he was saying things that might be the right things to say. “But he misses the point,” Duryee said. “He’s sexually interested in young girls and I don’t hear responsibility for that yet.” Duryee said Freeman told his girlfriend that he was posing as a predator to conduct his own investigations, and referenced emails Freeman sent to the undercover police officer in which he talked about his attraction to several young girls under his care in the group home. Freeman also sent the officer nonsexual photos of the girls he described, Duryee said. His seeking employment around young children, especially a job that required him to live in the group home 24 hours a day, sets him apart from most defendants, who try to avoid temptation, Duryee said. “If you’re trying to stay away from chocolate, you don’t go work in a chocolate shop,” she said. Soto sentenced Freeman to 97 months in prison and imposed 16 special conditions recommended in the pre-sentencing report, which included providing a DNA sample, being placed on the state’s sex-offender registry, polygraphs to determine if he’s compliant in his probation, sex-offender treatment, no use of social networking sites or computers with internet access and no contact with children except his own. Freeman was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution — $3,000 per victim — which he’ll begin paying while he’s in prison at the rate of $25 every three months. Freeman was hired in 2013 by local nonprofit TMM Family Services, according to Arizona Department of Child Safety records. Source: http://tucson.com/news/local/ex-tucson-group-home-worker-gets-years-in-prison-for/article_7e75c65a-8623-5286-afe0-49631529c660.html |
| Neighbors cheer closing of facility for troubled kids in Hawthorne Posted: Jan 31, 2018 2:20 PM PST Updated: Feb 01, 2018 10:54 AM PST Close X Embed Video Code Link to Video buffering Replay Neighbors cheer closing of facility for troubled kids in Hawthorne More Videos Westchester pharmacies report shortage of flu medicine 'Dreamer' from Pearl River recounts attending State of the Union Loved ones honor fallen FDNY firefighter Turn to Tara: New medical research linked to incurable brain disease Scientists: Massive untreated sewage leak discovered in Rye Tuckahoe dad says bullying led to daughter's suicide Yonkers day care center to close next month Yonkers police: 4-month-old baby found dead in apartment Neighbors cheer closing of facility for troubled kids in Hawthorne Yonkers day care center to close next month Rockland students raise money for elementary school in PR Neighbors cheer closing of facility for troubled kids in Hawthorne Neighbors cheer closing of facility for troubled kids in Hawthorne FBI in public fight with Trump over releasing Russia memo Neighbors cheer closing of school for troubled kids in Hawthorne Neighbors cheer closing of school for troubled kids in Hawthorne Westchester/Hudson Valley Sportscast, Jan. 31 Officials: Hawthorne Cedar Knolls will close. Neighbors are cheering the closing of a residential facility for troubled kids in Hawthorne. At a public meeting in Mount Pleasant Wednesday night, authorities unexpectedly announced the closure of the embattled Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Residential Treatment Center. Run by The Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, the center is housed on a campus with two other facilities that cater to troubled youth. When problems arise, mostly from Cedar Knolls, it's fallen to local police, officials say. “The police department, they're over there daily, sometimes two or three times a day," says Mount Pleasant Town Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi. People who live in the Linda Avenue neighborhood have been calling for the closing for quite some time, and the protests have increased after recent reports of runaways and violent incidents involving students. There is also the issue of students easily getting off campus. There was an incident last week where a 17-year-old allegedly broke into a house and confronted the owner with a box cutter. The family was not hurt, but that seemed to be the last straw. "God knows what really could've happened," says Sean Pickering, the homeowner who came face-to-face with the runaway teen in his Thornwood home last week. "The hardest part was explaining to the kids what had happened without scaring them too much as well." People who spoke with News 12 say they understand that some children treated at the home come from horrible situations, but they say changes had to made for everyone's safety. "They need to be in a more controlled atmosphere for everyone's safety," says Heidi Banziger, of Thornwood. The Residential Treatment Center is expected to close by the end of summer. Students are expected to be transferred to another facility in New York City. While Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Residential Treatment Center will close, the other two facilities will remain open. A spokesperson for the campus says that the Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School District is not closing. A statement reads, in part, “The Cedar Knolls Academy, Achieve Alternative High School and Linden Hill programs are open and will continue to provide educational services. The Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School District is a New York State Public School District and separate from the Jewish Board.” Source: http://westchester.news12.com/story/37397976/neighbors-cheer-closing-of-facility-for-troubled-kids-in-hawthorne |
| Substance-abuse treatment center closes in Hellam Twp. without warning David Weissman, 505-5431/@DispatchDavid Published 3:22 p.m. ET Feb. 1, 2018 | Updated 6:14 p.m. ET Feb. 1, 2018 Safe Haven Treatment Services closed its York County inpatient substance-abuse and detox facility without warning last month, about a year after opening. The 29-bed center — made up of 11 detox and 18 residential beds — in Hellam Township launched in January 2017 and was contracted with the York/Adams Drug and Alcohol Commission to provide detox and rehabilitation services, according to Audrey Gladfelter, commission administrator. That contract stipulated that Safe Haven was required to give the commission advanced warning if it was closing, according to Gladfelter, who said that didn't happen. More: New inpatient substance-abuse center opening Instead, Gladfelter said she heard during the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 25, that Safe Haven had contacted another inpatient facility about taking some of its clients. Gladfelter said she then contacted a company official early Friday, Jan. 26, and was told they were closing and that there were only a handful of residents left to be transferred. The commission had minimal interaction with Safe Haven because the facility was primarily treating people with private insurance, but Gladfelter said she's disappointed to see the facility disappear during the current heroin/opioid crisis. "We encounter individuals every week where we have to (send them) outside the county (for treatment) — sometimes hours away," she said. There were 128 confirmed heroin/fentanyl-related overdose deaths in York County during 2017, according to the York County Coroner's annual report. More: Heroin-related deaths in York County spike in 2017 despite reduction efforts More: As opioid crisis grows, judge aims for solutions, settlement Gladfelter said it's "pretty unusual" for an inpatient treatment provider to close so abruptly, though she was told by a company official that a financial backer had dropped out suddenly. Safe Haven still operates an outpatient center in York City and several recovery houses around the county. Company officials did not return a call requesting comment. Buy Photo Michelle Olmeda, executive director, and Adam Kiracofe, president, of Safe Haven, a new in-patient drug treatment facility located at 5849 Lincoln Hwy. in Hellam Township. Safe Haven will host an open house Wednesday, December 14 and will officially open in January. Friday, December 9, 2016. John A. Pavoncello photo (Photo: The York Dispatch) The facility, at 5849 Lincoln Highway, was last inspected by the state Department of Health on Nov. 6 as a result of an on-site complaint investigation by the Division of Drug and Alcohol Program Licensure, according to online records. The inspection notes that the facility was without running water for a five-day period in early November, and they failed to follow their own emergency procedures by evacuating residents to a proper substitute facility during that period. Records pertaining to inspections at the center have been requested by The York Dispatch via the state Right-to-Know Law. Source: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/local/2018/02/01/substance-abuse-treatment-center-closes-hellam-twp-without-warning/1087615001/ |
| Texas youth prison workers arrested amid abuse investigation By PAUL J. WEBER and CLAUDIA LAUER | Associated Press Facebook Twitter Flipboard Print Email AUSTIN, Texas – Investigators looking into the Texas youth prison system that has been upended by abuse and misconduct allegations arrested four current and former corrections officers Thursday on charges that include excessive force, theft and document tampering. A fifth Texas Juvenile Justice Department employee is also wanted but remains at large, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement, bringing the total number of juvenile correction workers facing criminal charges in the past year to at least nine. A 10th former correctional officer was convicted in July on charges of having sex with youth in custody. The unfolding crisis is the second time Texas' juvenile corrections agency has been rocked by scandal. Lawmakers overhauled the system in 2007 and shuttered lockups after authorities believed at least 13 boys in custody had been sexually abused. A spate of new allegations is again raising fears. Among those arrested Thursday was Morsello Hooker, a 31-year-old corrections officer at a rural West Texas lockup. He's accused in court documents of picking up a 15-year-old who was lying on his back and slamming him on the ground. The teenager said he was slammed down on his head and another correctional officer told investigators he saw Hooker use "a lot of force," according to court records. Hooker was released Thursday from Brown County Jail on $5,000 bond. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney and a phone number listed to him was disconnected. His arrest comes more than a month after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Rangers, the state's top criminal investigators, to delve into the state juvenile system that holds about 1,400 youth offenders in five lockups across the state. In recent weeks, Abbott has also replaced the leader of the agency and an independent ombudsman, a position that was created in wake of the Texas juvenile lockup scandal a decade ago. "Misconduct on the part of employees entrusted with the responsibility of protecting our youth will not be tolerated," Abbott said in a statement. "Today's announcement is one of many steps being taken to ensure that employees at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department are held accountable for their actions, and I am pleased with the progress being made." Texas' juvenile system today is far smaller than it was at the height of the previous scandal, when the state had more than 5,000 offenders in lockups. But the department has long struggled with turnover and finding qualified correctional officers. Hooker had been on the job a decade before the alleged body slam that led to his arrest, according to agency spokeswoman Carolyn Beck, while the other three arrested Thursday had been on the job for less than three years. They are Derrick Goodman, 56; Shannon Hoaglen, 41; and Derrick Day, 39. All worked at a North Texas lockup in Gainesville and were charged with official oppression. It was not immediately clear whether they had attorneys. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the last name of one of the defendants is Goodman, not Goldman. ___ Lauer contributed to this report from Dallas. ___ Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/01/texas-youth-prison-workers-arrested-amid-abuse-investigation.html |
| Man accused of abusing boy in special needs group home Posted: Feb 01 2018 04:48PM MST Video Posted: Feb 01 2018 05:22PM MST Updated: Feb 01 2018 05:49PM MST PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A Valley man who worked as a caregiver at two group homes has been arrested and accused of assault. Desmond Washington was employed by Lintoc Care, a group home for special needs juveniles in Chandler, as well as by the Guild Care Group in Mesa, a group home for developmentally disabled adults. According to court documents, in early December, while Washington was bathing a child at Lintoc Care, someone could hear screams and what sounded like hits coming from the bathroom. When the boy came out of the bathroom with Washington, another caregiver told detectives he was covered in abrasions and bruises. In a medical check up days later, nurses noted his genitals were also bruised. It was also found that Washington was also under investigation by Mesa Police, for an incident at the group home in Mesa. According to that police report, Washington is accused of badly beating a resident, repeatedly punching him. Source: http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/man-accused-of-assaulting-special-needs-patients |
| Opinion: Former foster child says DFCS should be last resort Opinion: Former foster child says DFCS should be last resort opinion By Richard L. Jackson 0 Posted: 6:47 p.m. Friday, February 02, 2018 Imagine your earliest memories as a child were your mother and father behaved differently than your friends’ parents. They didn’t care for you like they should. They had a drug or alcohol problem. Perhaps the happiest day of your life was when mom or dad said they wanted to get help for what troubled them. But instead of joy, this event turned to terror. As they went off to treatment, strangers barged into your home and took you away instead of sending you to a grandparent or other relative. Unfortunately, some children have been neglected and abused by their parents and immediate action is necessary by the state Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS). In other cases it is not. The trauma from being taken from your home as a young child or teenager creates psychological damage that resembles post-traumatic stress disorder. It leaves a scar with a child for the rest of his life. It certainly did for me. That’s why if Georgia can find an alternative route for parents who have issues and sincerely want to get help, then legislation now before the General Assembly could keep families intact and create incentives for parents to work on their sobriety. House Bill 159, now before the Georgia Legislature, is best known for its revision to the state adoption code. But it also includes an important new provision found in 41 states that allows parents, through a power of attorney, to give temporary guardianship to relatives or other qualified adults for up to one year. This important language — known as the Supporting and Strengthening Safe Families Act — also allows non-profits and churches to recruit volunteer foster parents who can step in as temporary guardians and care for these children right in their own communities. When children are taken into foster care, they are usually placed in the care of paid guardians who are complete strangers. In most counties in Georgia, there aren’t enough foster parents available to care for these children. As a result, siblings are split up or children are shipped to live with guardians far away – sometimes hundreds of miles from home, school, church, relatives and other support systems. As of December 2017, 14,000 Georgia children were in DFCS custody – a number that is steadily on the rise due to the opioid crisis. Nonprofits and churches are uniquely qualified to assist with the growing number of foster children at no cost to the state. To prevent children from ever winding up in state custody, they can offer family counseling, drug rehab and financial assistance when parents are out of work. But under traditional foster care, churches that provide foster parents are not allowed to assist biological parents – a link that needs repairing with this legislation. No child ever wants to become a ward of the state. And this proposal to extend a power of attorney will not work for cases of abuse or neglect. But the state will save millions of dollars it currently spends on children in DFCS if it can rely on relatives or the faith community to step in when drug addicted parents truly want help. I will always be thankful that DFCS was there for me 50 years ago. However, if that little boy had a choice to have his mother work with church volunteers versus being placed in a government system, there is no doubt I would have rather had the former. Government can never take the place of a parent or loving relative. As a former foster child, I can say it’s time for those of us who have lived in dysfunctional homes to speak out for these 14,000 Georgia children. They have been removed from the little stability they have left in their lives. As we saw in the State of the Union, President Trump highlighted how those in our community will step up to help these children if given the opportunity. The president commended a New Mexico police officer and his wife for convincing a pregnant drug addict living on the streets to allow them to take custody of, and then adopt, her unborn child. The mother is now in treatment and working on her sobriety. New Mexico law allowed the mother to give the policeman and his wife temporary custody until the adoption was finalized without oversight by DFCS. If the same policeman and his wife lived in Georgia, this temporary custody — which led to an adoption — may have never happened. I appreciate Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s leadership and support from the Georgia House in passing the Supporting and Strengthening Safe Families Act. They recognize that government is not always the solution to our foster care challenges, and DFCS should always be the last resort. Richard L. Jackson, chairman and CEO of Jackson Healthcare of Alpharetta, was removed from his mother’s care at age 13 and remained in foster care until a young adult. Source: http://www.myajc.com/news/opinion/opinion-former-foster-child-says-dfcs-should-last-resort/zcKh3ivT0WG2IupwXJb2YI/ |
| Arrest stirs memories of abuse Story Comments Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size 33-year-old Tracy man Imagine these poor kids, they don’t have anybody. ... Just feeling completely hopeless that nobody’s going to help them and nobody cares. And then we leave monsters to take care of them.” Posted: Friday, February 2, 2018 9:30 am Arrest stirs memories of abuse By Michael Ellis Langley Golden State Newspapers | 0 comments When one Tracy man heard about the recent arrest of a former counselor at a Valley Oak Residential youth group home in Tracy for sexual crimes — the second such case in two years — he was angry, because the same things that happened to him as a child were still going on. His mother left him at age 4, and he became a foster child and a ward of the state, bouncing from home to home for 14 years until he aged out of the system as an adult. Subscription Required An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety. One of those homes was a youth group home in San Benito County. “There wasn’t no Mary Poppins working there when I was there,” he said this week in an interview given on the condition that his name would not be used. “I would sometimes talk to the workers there, but I never, kind of, trusted them. I would just say things and talk. I never expected anything good to come out of it. I never felt safe or secure by sharing the things that I would tell them, because they never did anything anyways.” He said the homes he was familiar with would house five or six kids from 6 to 16 years old who were supervised by three or four counselors. The first time he ended up in a group home, it was 1996. He was 12. “There was three ladies working there. One was probably like 19 years old, the other one was probably 24-25 and then there was like the mom — she was probably 36. She had kids of her own and was probably the most normal out of all of them,” he recalls. It was from the woman in her 20s that Jake learned how dark things can get for kids in group homes. “She would sometimes come in high and get kids to kiss each other and stuff. Who knows how it made them feel. I know I felt real weird about it,” he said. “She would also try to put makeup on us too, which was really weird. Eventually I would just let her do it because she would just ask so much. Like really being pushy about it. She would kiss on us. Touch over our genitals over our pants — you know what I mean.” He said that if she was assigned to the overnight shift, the attention was worse and she would perform sex acts with the boys. “It was almost just like, ‘OK, this is what she wants to do. Whatever,’” he said. “Nothing ever happened to her. The other workers would walk in and probably got a weird sense something odd was going on but never did anything about it.” He lived in the home for eight months and said the events he described happened almost daily. Three years later, at 16, he was back in the same group home. “Now there was different people working there and there was one particular girl and she’s the one that was really getting close with the boys,” he said. “She would try to get us to hook up with the other girls that were in there. It was always a weird thing of them trying to get us to mess around with the other kids. And also mess around with us too.” It affects him still. “They were supposed to be giving us structure. Caring for us. But instead, they came there to get their jollies out,” he said. “If a woman does something that reminds me of those women, it sickens me. It would be perfectly OK for them to do it now that I’m an adult, but it makes me feel like a child again.” He said he has to read about relationships, both sexual and friendly, to try to understand them. “I have a hard time connecting with people because of that,” he said. “That’s all I can go by is books that I’ve read from other people’s experiences. What the world tells you you should be feeling. And I know I didn’t feel like that. It was just empty, cold.” He has found a way to live with what happened to him. He lives in Tracy with his wife of 12 years and their newborn child and goes to work every day — a normal life if viewed from the outside. But he said he has no friends, no other family, and he began sobbing with angry tears as he imagined himself back in the place of kids in group homes like Valley Oak Residential. “Imagine these poor kids, they don’t have anybody,” he said in a choked voice. “A 6-year-old kid, does not have a mother or a father. Sitting in a home, all scared just with nobody. Nobody at all. Just feeling completely hopeless that nobody’s going to help them and nobody cares. And then we leave monsters to take care of them.” He believes some adults prey upon the kids’ isolation and need to connect. “The life that I’ve lived, I am a little bit jaded. It’s just that this has been going on for so long, you know what I mean. Everybody knows those kids exist and nobody’s done anything about it,” he said. “The system’s in the same place it’s always been. Kids are getting taken advantage of. There’s sex trafficking going on with orphans and foster kids.” On Jan. 2, Tracy police arrested 34-year-old Nolan Jason Bradley, a former counselor at the Valley Oak Residential youth home in Tracy. He is awaiting trial on one criminal count of lewd acts upon a child, one criminal count of sexual penetration by a foreign object, and six criminal counts of oral copulation of a person under 18. According to court documents, the alleged abuse began when the boy, a resident at Valley Oak, was 15. Ariana Gonzalez Salas was also a counselor at the Tracy home and was convicted on June 28, 2016, of sexual battery of a young male resident. She was 25 and the boy was 16. She was sentenced to one year in jail and is now out. Valley Oak Residential, which is based in Manteca, was asked for an interview about how it screens staff members and supervises them once hired. A representative named Gregory Potts sent the Tracy Press a short email in response. “Our agency follows all state, federal, and local laws regarding employment and training,” Potts wrote. “Due to ongoing litigation, we are not at liberty to elaborate.” The Tracy man who shared his story did so in the faint hope that the community would make lawmakers do something to change the system and protect children. But he’s not confident that his neighbors will act. “Well, I’m a realist and I know the people in Tracy, they already got their plates full. Everybody’s too busy. They’ve got their own kids,” he said. “I don’t really know what I could tell them, honestly. I might get a little rise out of them, but will anyone do anything? I highly doubt it. It’s been going on forever. Everybody knows these kids exist, but no one wants to talk about them.” Contact Michael Ellis Langley at [email protected] or 830-4231. Source: http://www.goldenstatenewspapers.com/tracy_press/news/arrest-stirs-memories-of-abuse/article_f344e6e4-07b5-11e8-9b36-fbcb81c7f986.html |
| Siblings suffered gruesome abuse in foster care and the state ignored it, lawsuit says By Alexis Krell [email protected] LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest Reddit Print Order Reprint of this Story February 04, 2018 05:32 AM Updated February 03, 2018 09:22 PM Siblings who say they were tortured, beaten and sexually abused in foster homes when they were children have sued the state of Washington, arguing that the abuse continued despite multiple reports of mistreatment. The siblings are identified by their initials in the lawsuit: M.M.A., M.A. and A.A. Their lawsuit doesn’t give an exact time line of the abuse or indicate how old they are now, but it says at least some of the abuse happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the siblings were placed in foster homes by the state Department of Social and Health Services. “Despite a number of referrals, complaints, and reports to DSHS indicative of abuse and neglect, including specific disclosures by the siblings indicating that abuse was taking place, DSHS failed to investigate in most instances, and when an investigation did occur, DSHS failed to do so with ordinary and reasonable care,” according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. A DSHS spokeswoman said the agency would not comment on the pending litigation. According to the complaint, which was filed Jan. 16 in Pierce County Superior Court: Two of the siblings were sexually abused by a foster parent in one home, and the state failed to properly investigate, even though one of the children and a neighbor reported abuse and neglect to a social worker. Children living in another foster home where the siblings were assigned killed themselves, and the state also had reports of abuse and neglect connected to those parents. One of the siblings was tortured at that home, where she lived from about 1984 to 1989. The foster parents made her grab live electrical fence wires, eat rotten food and rub lotion on her foster mother’s body. They also beat her with wooden spoons and with branches they made the girl find outside. They also backhanded her in the face while wearing rings, deprived her of food and shaved her head. They also beat one of the other siblings, deprived him of food, and held his head underwater until he almost drowned. Those foster parents also encouraged other children in the home to abuse two of the siblings, who were sexually assaulted by other youths there, according to the lawsuit. DSHS employees’ visits to both foster homes were “infrequent, at best,” the lawsuit said. Alexis Krell: 253-597-8268, @amkrell Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article198204604.html#storylink=cpy |
| Ex-foster child of convicted pedophile files $15M claim against Arizona DCS By Caitlin Schmidt Arizona Daily Star Caitlin Schmidt Feb 4, 2018 Updated 4 hrs ago Facebook Twitter Email David Frodsham Sierra Vista police Facebook Twitter Email Print Save A former foster child who spent 12 years in the home of a man convicted of child sex crimes has filed a $15 million claim against two state agencies, saying they failed to protect him from years of physical and sexual abuse. The claim, filed Wednesday by Tucson attorney Lynne Cadigan on behalf of “John Doe,” names as defendants the Arizona Departments of Child Safety and Economic Security, the directors of both agencies and several employees. DCS, when it was known as Child Protective Services, was once an agency under DES control. The claim by “John Doe,” who recently turned 18, details more than a decade of abuse that highlights the state’s “failed child protection practices and policies,” according to the document. Darren DaRonco, a DCS spokesman, said it’s the agency’s policy not to comment on pending litigation. John Doe went to live with foster parents David Frodsham and his wife at their Sierra Vista home in 2004 and remained in their care until 2016, when federal agents arrested Frodsham for “operating a pornographic pedophile ring based in the home,” said the claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit. In December 2016, Frodsham was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of child sexual abuse and pornography. John Doe was identified as one of the victims in the federal case. “David Frodsham utilized the State of Arizona and the foster care system to funnel innocent, vulnerable children into his home, so he could run a pedophile ring,” the claim said. Frodsham physically and sexually abused John Doe “countless times” and also acted as the young man’s pimp, prostituting John Doe to other men in exchange for money. The claim said Frodsham often participated in the sexual encounters as well and “helped enable a network of pedophiles in the Sierra Vista area” who repeatedly abused John Doe. In addition to physical abuse by Frodsham, John Doe also endured beatings and neglect by Frodsham’s wife, the claim said. “(Frodsham’s wife) knew the sexual abuse was occurring, at times walking into the room as it was happening, yet took no steps to stop it,” the claim said. The claim said Frodsham’s wife routinely beat John Doe. She refused to buy clothes for John Doe or feed him, screaming at him every time he would complain or try to protect himself, according to the claim. The Frodshams forced John Doe to live outside the house most of the time, and when they left for work, they’d lock him out of the house. He was left with a bike to travel to a convenience store in case he needed to use the restroom, the claim said. The neglect and abuse was documented by DCS, but still continued, the claim said. “The foster and other children ... were forced to eat hot sauce as punishment, handcuffed to the bed all night, locked outside the home and locked in closets,” the claim said. “John Doe and the other boys were beaten with fists, brooms, belts and other objects to the extent that medical care was frequently required.” In an internal DCS document obtained by the Star, one caseworker noted in March 2007 that the Frodshams admitted to handcuffing John Doe one night, after he had gotten out of his room. “The Frodshams did not hide the fact that they used the handcuffs and notified the agency immediately,” the progress report said, adding that the only “corrective action” to be taken against the Frodshams would be a review of policies and a “stern warning that this is inappropriate behavior and against policy.” The progress notes document other instances of abuse, with witnesses reporting seeing Frodsham’s wife slapping her foster children in the face and forcing them to go to bed without dinner. DCS had access to more than 38 police reports from the Frodsham house, dated between 2002 and 2016 — all prior to Frodsham’s arrest for child abuse. “The state should have reviewed these as part of their licensing of the foster/adoptive parent program,” the claim says. “John Doe complained to (DCS) over 16 times and nothing was done.” DCS also documented at least 10 abuse and neglect complaints against the Frodshams between 2002 and 2015. “Children in abusive homes rarely can report the abuse, as if they do they are beaten again,” the claim said. “This is exactly what happened to John Doe.” DCS should have intervened because John Doe was “completely vulnerable” to the Frodshams and helpless against their abuse, according to the claim. In addition to police reports and DCS documents, there was also information that showed that Frodsham was an unsuitable foster and adoptive parent, the claim said. Frodsham briefly worked with the Department of Defense in Afghanistan, but was kicked out and relieved from duty due to sexual harassment and a military assessment that shows he had an “unalterable personality disorder,” according to the claim. If John Doe had been the biological child of the Frodshams, the state would have removed him from the home based on the allegations of neglect and abuse, according to the claim. “Instead, the state left John Doe in the foster/adoptive home, and the Frodshams received a monthly stipend from the state to abuse him,” the claim said. The claim provides a list of 10 ways in which DCS and its employees failed to prevent John Doe’s abuse, which includes gross negligence and deliberate indifference by failing to investigate the claims of abuse and neglect in the Frodsham home. “There were numerous deliberate and negligent failings in the state in this case, as despite constant DCS presence and reports and complaints, the Frodshams were allowed to traffic their children for sex and pornography, abuse and beat the children in horrific ways, and yet blame it all on the children,” the claim said. John Doe has both physical and emotional scars from his years of abuse and will continue to suffer “permanent and devastating” emotional damage, the claim said. In addition to the $15 million the claim is seeking, John Doe also wants to change the way DCS operates and send a message to the state to protect children in its care, according to the claim. ”The Department of Child Safety must be held accountable for the abuse this child has suffered,” Cadigan told the Star. “How could such horrific abuse occur on their watch?” The state entrusted vulnerable children into Frodsham’s care and paid him “substantial taxpayer funds” while he trafficked those foster children into his pedophile ring, Cadigan said. ”This case is one of the worst cases of neglect and torture I have seen in my 35 years of experience,” Cadigan said. “The suffering this child has endured is unimaginable.” Source: http://tucson.com/news/local/ex-foster-child-of-convicted-sierra-vista-pedophile-files-m/article_9f3986c0-8f05-5ec3-9562-ade05a18be1c.html |
| Oregon's scathing child welfare audit is no surprise for foster parents: Guest opinion Updated 8:30 AM; Posted 8:30 AM The author, at right, argues that he and his husband, Ben West, (left) found the number of cases that state foster-care workers had to juggle to be a stumbling block to the care that kids were provided.(Stephanie Yao Long/2014) 138 shares By Guest Columnist By Paul Rummell The results of the Oregon foster-care system audit are in, and they are more horrific than anyone could imagine - unless you work in or with foster care. For those of us who have seen firsthand the staff turnover, low morale and nonexistent support for foster parents, the audit serves as recognition, finally, of the dire circumstances our most vulnerable population must contend with if they seek state intervention and protection. The findings come as no real surprise to me or my husband. Almost a decade ago, we became foster parents to help an underserved population and to gain experience as parents for when we decided to build our own family. The decision to become foster parents changed our lives. It set the course for the work we chose, the activism we focused on and ultimately, helped us create the family we now have. But we saw how flawed the Department of Human Services' foster-care system is, and the audit findings bear those out. The report highlights three major areas of concern - systemic problems including chronic mismanagement, an insufficient number of available foster families and years of understaffing - and makes 24 recommendations. Simply put, the agency doesn't have enough people to meet the needs of Oregon's children in crisis. This has led to an unfathomable downward spiral of attrition that itself is the reason for a yearly budget drain of about $28 million. That's what it takes each year to train newly hired caseworkers. The ideal would be to retain staff and use the $28 million dollars for improved programs for children, higher payments for foster families, and promotion of foster parents. The money also could be used to recruit more case workers to alleviate the load on existing staff. As foster parents, we found the number of cases that workers had to juggle to be a stumbling block to the care that kids were provided. We had several foster kids placed with us who saw their state-assigned case worker less than once a month. One child was deliberately separated from his sibling, regardless of a policy that they should be kept together. The caseworker, who was close to retiring, didn't seem to care that he was ripping two children's lives apart. He made false promises that the two would have full visitation opportunities, and then stopped returning our calls. Generally, we felt some caseworkers seemed apathetic because they were overloaded with cases. It seemed commonplace for them to promise care or assistance, but not follow through. On many occasions, caseworkers were dishonest, promising things they couldn't provide to placate us, as foster parents. This created animosity and distrust. We also saw the agency push to reunify foster children with their families, even when workers admitted the families hadn't fully met the criteria for reunification. Due to lack of funding to ensure compliance with family treatment plans, it was commonplace to send kids back home - only to have them return to DHS in a vicious cycle. With a lack of foster care providers and caseworkers, the problems we saw could only have gotten worse. We decided to quit foster care, becoming another foster-care statistic. Once we adopted our son, the best thing for our family was to remove ourselves from the culture of distrust we'd experienced. We devoted our time to making sure our son had the attention he finally deserved. There is a culture within the agency that needs to change, and that comes from the highest levels. Managers resort to bullying their caseworkers to force results. Caseworkers suffer from burnout, leaving fragile and vulnerable children to suffer greater injustice within a system that is supposed to protect them. It is no surprise to us that this important audit was a priority for Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. Richardson and his wife adopted their eighth daughter from foster care, and his experience resonated with us. We supported him in the election because of our belief that he would work to reform issues within the system. This audit is a culmination of that work. Oregon's children deserve much better and we are happy that Richardson and his team of auditors have highlighted areas that need improvement. Let's hope our governor and Legislature are listening. With the start of the new 2018 legislative session, I really hope our elected officials make our children a priority. Paul Rummell and his husband, Ben West, adopted their son through foster care and were plaintiffs in a lawsuit that successfully challenged Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage. They live in Wilsonville. Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/02/oregons_scathing_child_welfare.html |
| Student dies on campus of Wahpeton boarding school By Amy Unrau on Feb 7, 2018 at 10:28 p.m. WAHPETON -- A student has reportedly died on a school campus in Wahpeton this week. The Circle of Nations Indian school tells us a 12-year-old girl was found dead Tuesday night around 8:00. The superintendent says the girl did not die of natural causes, but there is no danger to the community, according to the Wahpeton Daily News. Her body is undergoing an autopsy and police are investigating. In a statement, the school said: "It's difficult for all of us to face the death of a young person. During crises situations such as this, providing support to our students and staff is our primary priority." The school has brought in counselors for those in need. Source: http://www.wday.com/news/4400408-student-dies-campus-wahpeton-boarding-school |
| Arizona Department of Child Safety faces claims of $37M over abuse Back-to-back claims: Kids were abused in foster care, and DCS dropped the ball Mary Jo Pitzl, The Republic | azcentral.com Published 1:32 p.m. MT Feb. 8, 2018 | Updated 3:07 p.m. MT Feb. 8, 2018 CLOSE Reporter Bob Ortega outlines The Republic's series examining the Arizona Department of Child Safety, the issues with the state's child-welfare system and how to improve it. David Wallace/azcentral.com One claim alleges a decade of horrific abuse and neglect; another documents that a registered sex offender lived in a foster home and abused a young girl. Two claims filed against the Arizona Department of Child Safety in the past two weeks allege the agency failed to protect children in foster care(Photo: David Wallace/The Republic) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDIN 1 COMMENTEMAILMORE In May 2016, a 7-year-old girl was sexually abused while in foster care. The man who assaulted her, known to her as "Papa Joe," was convicted last year of sexual conduct with a minor and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Now, her attorney is seeking $22 million from the state for the failure of the state Department of Child Safety to properly vet her foster-home placement and keep her from harm. Foster child, sex offender lived in same home A new notice of claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — filed with the state Wednesday describes that harm in graphic detail. Attorney Robert Pastor says DCS officials knew or should have known that the child was living in a home west of Phoenix where Jose Egurrola, a registered sex offender, was living. Jose Egurrola (Photo: Arizona Department of Transportation) "In fact, the State of Arizona did know because the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicle (sic) and the Arizona Department of Public Safety documented that Jose Angel Egurrola was a convicted sex offender, living with the foster mother," the claim reads. The child is not identified in the claim, to protect her privacy and that of her family. Pastor said the girl has since been reunited with her biological mother. Now age 8, she has been acting out, getting into fights with other children at school, showing fear of sleeping in a dark room and exhibiting anxiety and depression, Pastor said. READ THE CLAIM: Click here or scroll to the end of the story ONE GIRL'S STORY: A horrifying journey through Arizona foster care The filing comes after a notice filed last week on behalf of a former foster child in Tucson who alleged more than a decade of abuse from his foster father. That claim, which seeks $15 million in damages from the state, states the boy was repeatedly physically and sexually abused by his foster father over the 12 years he was in the home. He also was pimped out by his foster father to a pedophile ring that operated out of Sierra Vista, the claim states. His foster mother also beat him, and the family continually neglected the boy's needs, the claim states. DCS has declined to comment on the claims, citing the potential litigation. Both of the claims allege failings in how DCS administers foster-care licensing. FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedIn From CPS to DCS: A look at Arizona's struggling child-welfare agency Fullscreen Post to Facebook Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Arizona Child Protective Services caseworker Wendy Rosenberg meets a 4-year-old boy whose mother was taken to a psychiatric hospital after threatening to commit suicide. Police officers put the child in their vehicle while waiting for a CPS representative to arrive. Nick Oza/The Republic Fullscreen An Arizona Child Protective Services caseworker escorts a family with the help of Phoenix police on Feb. 28, 2012. State officials and child-welfare experts say a growing number of kids in foster care indicates underlying problems are too much for one agency to handle. Nick Oza/The Republic Fullscreen A young boy eats an apple while staying at the Crisis Nursery in Phoenix. Child advocates, care providers and case managers say the beating death of 6-year-old Jacob Gibson is shedding light on an Arizona child-welfare system in crisis, starved by budget cuts and crippled by staff turnover, low morale and crushing caseloads. Pat Shannahan/The Republic Fullscreen A 3-year-old girl throws a tantrum while laying down on the floor in the preschool area of Child Crisis Arizona in Phoenix on January, 28, 2016. The shelter houses nearly 30 children 0 zero through 8, who are primarily brought in from the Arizona Department of Child Safety. The children stay at the shelter an average of six to nine months. David Wallace/The Republic Fullscreen The shadow a 2-year-old boy is seen at Child Crisis Arizona on January 28, 2016. The shelter houses nearly 30 children ages 0 through 8, who are primarily brought in from the Arizona Department of Child Safety. The children stay at the shelter an average of six to nine months. David Wallace/The Republic Fullscreen A 5-year-old boy sits at a picnic table at a park at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix on March 1, 2016. The boy lives at Child Crisis Arizona in Phoenix, a shelter that houses nearly 30 children ages 0 through 8, who are primarily brought in from the Department of Child Safety. The children stay at the shelter an average of six to nine months. An adult supervisor took five of the children on a walk to the park at Maricopa Medical Center, which is next door to the shelter. David Wallace/The Republic Fullscreen A 2-year-old is examined for bruises, marks or scrapes at Child Crisis Arizona in Phoenix on March 1, 2016. The boy is leaving the facility for the afternoon to see a parent, and every time a child leaves and returns to the facility to see a parent or guardian, his body must be checked. The shelter houses nearly 30 children ages 0 through 8, who are primarily brought in from the Arizona Department of Child Safety. The children stay at the shelter an average of six to nine months. David Wallace/The Republic Fullscreen Phoenix police Detective Gregory McKay was hired in September 2012 to oversee a new investigations unit handling the most serious child abuse and neglect cases. Tom Tingle/The Republic Fullscreen Phoenix police Detective Greg McKay (left), who heads the Office of Child Welfare Investigations, talks to Arizona Department of Economic Security Director Clarence Carter on Oct. 17, 2013, during the meeting of the Child Protective Services Oversight Committee. Carter heard presentations from the state Department of Economic Security, which oversees CPS, on the foster-care system, the progress of a special-investigations unit and how $60 million in new funding is being spent. Nick Oza/The Republic Fullscreen Arizona Department of Economic Security Director Clarence Carter said he wasn't aware of the thousands of uninvestigated child-welfare cases discovered in 2013. Nick Oza/The Republic Fullscreen Arizona Department of Economic Security Director Clarence Carter and hearing co-Chair Rep. Kate Brophy McGee listen as Charles Flanagan, chairman of the C.A.R.E. team. addresses an Arizona legislative hearing of the Child Protective Services Oversight Committee at the state capital on Monday, December 16, 2013. The purpose of the meeting was an update on the more than 6,500 non-investigated CPS cases by both the Department of Public Safety and the C.A.R.E. team. Charlie Leight/The Republic Fullscreen Gov. Jan Brewer addresses a joint session at the Arizona State Capitol Monday, Jan. 13, 2014. Brewer announced during her State of the State address Monday that she has signed an executive order abolishing Child Protective Services, replacing it with a stand-alone, cabinet-level agency. The new agency will be steered by Charles Flanagan, who is heading up the independent CARE review team Brewer created to look into thousands of uninvestigated child-abuse reports. Rob Schumacher/The Republic Fullscreen Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signs into law, then holds up Senate Bill 1002, which provides about $60 million in additional funding to cover the cost of adding more than 160 new staff, from caseworkers to police investigators, to the new Department of Child Safety during the signing ceremony on Wednesday, May 29, 2014, at the State Capitol in Phoenix, Ariz. The new department is the successor to the troubled Child Protective Services, whose demise followed the revelation last fall of nearly 6,600 reports of child abuse and neglect that had been set aside and marked "not investigated." Rob Schumacher/The Republic Fullscreen Gov. Doug Ducey (left) picked Greg McKay on Tuesday, February 10, 2015, to lead the Department of Child Safety, despite McKay's lack of administrative experience. DCS now is seeking a 20 percent budget increase. Ducey has given McKay a “clear mandate" to make changes at the child-welfare agency as he sees fit. But a lack of stability among the agency’s top brass calls into question McKay’s leadership. Michael Schennum/The Republic Fullscreen Maribel Ontiveros talks about the day the police came to take her children. They were returned six days later by Arizona Department of Child Safety caseworkers who said they'd made a mistake. The photo was taken in Ontiveros’ Phoenix home, October 28, 2016. Mark Henle/The Republic Fullscreen Maribel Ontiveros talks about the day the police came to take her children. They were returned six days later by Arizona Department of Child Safety caseworkers who said they'd made a mistake. The photo was taken in Ontiveros’ Phoenix home, October 28, 2016. Mark Henle/The Republic Fullscreen Maribel Ontiveros talks about the day the police came to take her children. They were returned six days later by Arizona Department of Child Safety caseworkers who said they'd made a mistake. The photo was taken in Ontiveros’ Phoenix home, October 28, 2016. Mark Henle/The Republic Fullscreen Maribel Ontiveros shows a video of the day the police came to take her children. They were returned six days later by Arizona Department of Child Safety caseworkers who said they'd made a mistake. The photo was taken in Ontiveros’ Phoenix home, October 28, 2016. Mark Henle/The Republic Fullscreen A portrait of the Garcia family (from left): Maribel Ontiveros, Irving Garcia (16), Carolina Garcia (9), Antonio Garcia and Christopher Garcia (13), November 2, 2016, in front of their Phoenix home. Mark Henle/The Republic Fullscreen Maribel Ontiveros (left) speaks about the Arizona Department of Child Safety during a protest against DCS outside of their office on Monday March 21, 2016, in Phoenix, Ariz. Courtney Pedroza/The Republic Fullscreen Christopher Garcia (right) and his mother Maribel Ontiveros (left) hold signs during a protest against the Arizona Department of Child Safety outside of the DCS office on Monday March 21, 2016, in Phoenix, Ariz. C From CPS to DCS: A look at Arizona's struggling child-welfare agency In the case of the young girl, records show Egurrola registered as a sex offender, listing the foster-home address, two days after the child was placed there. DCS is required to check the backgrounds of all adults in a foster home, and to do periodic checks. Although Egurrola was not on the registry — in violation of his parole — when the placement was made, Pastor said his presence should have been noticed in follow-up visits. MVD records included with the claim show Egurrola moved along with the foster mother from Surprise to Avondale, changing his address to the Avondale location in April 2016, one month before the sexual abuse. BIGGEST CHALLENGE, OPPORTUNITY: DCS aims to keep more kids at home The claim alleges when DCS workers arrived to do periodic checks on the foster home, they did not enter the house to check out the living conditions, did not verify who was living there and did not interview the home's occupants. The foster mother reported the abuse to Avondale police as soon as the child told her about it, and ordered Egurrola to leave the home. Egurrola pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor last April. A forensic examination conducted as part of the criminal investigation found his semen on the child's mouth, anus and vagina, according to the complaint. CLOSE Arizona’s child-welfare agency says to call the child-abuse hotline if you reasonably believe that a child has been “abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned.” Wochit 3 dozen police reports ignored, claim says “John Doe (the pseudonym used for the child in the claim) complained to CPS/DCS over 16 times and nothing was done. Even more shocking, there were at least 10 abuse and neglect complaints documented by CPS/DCS between 2002 and 2015.” Attorney Lynne Cadigan, in a claim made by a former Tucson foster child against DCS In the Tucson case, the claim alleges DCS did not pursue more than three dozen police reports involving the home of David Frodsham, the foster father, over a period of 12 years. Those reports included calls made by the foster child himself. "John Doe (the pseudonym used for the child in the claim) complained to CPS/DCS over 16 times and nothing was done," attorney Lynne Cadigan wrote. "Even more shocking, there were at least 10 abuse and neglect complaints documented by CPS/DCS between 2002 and 2015." These reports brought no change to the boy's welfare, Cadigan wrote. It was only when Frodshamwas arrested by federal officers for operating a pornographic pedophile ring out of his home that DCS removed the boy from the home. That's because the complaint by the federal investigators identified the boy as a victim of the pedophile operation. The back-to-back claims come as the state Legislature is considering a bill that would drop the requirement for foster and group homes to renew their licenses after their first two years of operation. Rather, Senate Bill 1046 would make the renewal process complaint driven; if a complaint were filed against a home, the state would be obliged to investigate if the operator wanted to keep the license valid. The bill passed the state Senate on a unanimous vote Monday; it now moves to the House of Representative for consideration. Meanwhile, the state has 60 days to review the claims and decide whether to accept them. If denied, the claimants can take their case to court. Reach the reporter at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter, @maryjpitzl. Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2018/02/08/back-back-claims-kids-were-abused-foster-care-and-dcs-dropped-ball/316817002/ |
| Kids in psych center say staff sexually, physically abused them. Why didn’t officials listen? By Fred Clasen-Kelly And Cassie Cope [email protected] LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest Reddit Print Order Reprint of this Story February 09, 2018 02:55 PM Updated 1 hour 43 minutes ago In April, a 17-year-old with a history of suicide attempts and depression escaped from a south Charlotte psychiatric hospital. Staff members who caught him used unnecessary force, the teen said, and threatened to beat him up if he told anyone. At the same facility in September, according to court and police records, a teenage girl said she had sex with a staff member. A grand jury later indicted the Strategic Behavioral Center employee on a charge of statutory rape. Most recently, someone shattered a window on New Year’s Day and 10 children, as young as 12, broke out of the center, a police report shows. State investigative reports obtained by the Observer date to 2016 and reveal allegations of sexual and physical abuse, verbal abuse and failures by Strategic Behavioral Center to properly investigate or report serious accusations made by patients. Strategic is one of 37 licensed psychiatric residential treatment facilities in North Carolina where patients get round-the-clock care for severe mental and behavioral conditions. The incidents raise questions about whether the 60-bed facility on Sharon Road West near South Boulevard is properly treating and supervising children in its care, advocates for the disabled and lawmakers say. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has two open investigations into complaints against the hospital, including the January escape. The allegations have also drawn concern from critics about whether the state agency has acted swiftly enough to discipline Strategic and ensure the safety of its patients. Complaints from patients were documented by DHHS regulators. After learning about the state’s findings, three state lawmakers told the Observer they believe that DHHS failed to adequately oversee Strategic and keep children safe. One also said the hospital should be shut down. DHHS is responsible for licensing residential treatment facilities like Strategic and making sure that taxpayer money – which often pays for the services through Medicaid – is used properly. State Sen. Tommy Tucker, a Union County Republican who is a member of the General Assembly’s legislative oversight committee on Medicaid, criticized oversight by DHHS and said Strategic has been given enough chances to improve its performance. “They may need to move quickly to suspend this organization,” Tucker said. “You need to move these people to other places.” Poor results The Tennessee-based company that owns the hospital – Strategic Behavioral Health – operates treatment centers in six states, including three in North Carolina. The company says it has boosted quality by hiring an outside expert to conduct regular surveys to measure patient outcomes. While Strategic’s other facilities performed well, the Charlotte hospital suffered recently with problems in management, said Art Frankel, a UNC Wilmington social work professor who conducts the surveys. A quarterly survey from last year found 60 percent of patients returned to long-term psychiatric care within six months of discharge from the Charlotte hospital, Frankel said. In the past, the facility’s rate had hovered around the national average of 19 percent, he said. Roughly one in three patients visit emergency rooms for mental health issues within one month of discharge, another measure used to determine whether treatment was effective. That’s three times higher than the national average, Frankel said. “It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see this place was not doing as well as the others,” Frankel said. “Administration was not taking care of business.” Strategic refused to make company leaders available for interviews, but released written statements in response to questions from the Observer. Overall patient care meets national guidelines for behavioral health and rehabilitative services, Strategic said. “An important part of our commitment is to continually improve our performance,” the company said. “That is why we are one of the few behavioral health providers who contracts with the state that also engages an independent expert to evaluate our programs and track our outcomes on an ongoing basis. “We examine those reports, as well as feedback from state regulators, patient advocates, and others, and modify our programs so that we can best serve the youth we treat.” Strategic has temporarily relocated one of its top executives to Charlotte to help oversee operations. The company also hired a new chief executive officer for the Charlotte hospital. Asked about the DHHS investigation into the New Year’s Day patient escape, Strategic said it has sent the state a corrective action plan meant to prevent a repeat. That plan includes retraining staff and amending its admissions policy, the company said. “We have reviewed operations at our center, including two unfortunate recent incidents involving residents we admitted without realizing they were not suited for our level of care,” the company said. “We are making some changes so that we can most effectively and safely treat our patients.” Health and safety concerns Troubles at Strategic have existed since at least early 2015. In North Carolina, seven managed care organizations contract with providers to treat people who receive Medicaid, a joint state and federal health insurance program for the needy that covers the cost for most of Strategic’s patients. Cardinal Innovations Healthcare and Alliance Behavioral Healthcare have ended contracts with the Charlotte hospital, a move that advocates for the disabled and state lawmakers say should have raised red flags. Cardinal coordinates care for Medicaid recipients in Mecklenburg and 19 other counties. State leaders and others harshly criticized DHHS oversight of Cardinal last year after audits found alleged misspending, including taxpayer money used for high-priced parties and retreats, chartered flights and pay bonuses. Spokeswoman Ashley Conger said Cardinal stopped referring clients in April 2015 after concerns surfaced about quality of care and health and safety. Conger said Cardinal provided oversight and technical assistance to Strategic, but the hospital did not improve. Alliance Behavioral Healthcare serves clients who live in Durham, Wake, Johnston and Cumberland counties. A spokesman said Alliance stopped referring patients to the Charlotte hospital in July 2017 in response to substantiated complaints about quality of care. State Rep. Donny Lambeth, co-chair of the House Health Committee, said DHHS should have acted to stop other managed care organizations from referring children to the hospital. “DHHS has got to step up,” said Lambeth, a Forsyth County Republican and a retired hospital executive. “If there are repeated offenses they need to be dealt with or closed down. There are fundamental problems here.” State defends oversight DHHS spokeswoman Chris Mackey said in an email that each managed care organization is responsible for making its own determinations about health providers. The organizations are notified when the state suspends, revokes or imposes other sanctions against a facility’s operating license. Regulators have investigated 21 complaints against the Charlotte hospital since 2015, Mackey said. Strategic has drawn up corrective action plans when DHHS cited problems during past investigations, she said. The agency recently rejected an application from Strategic to add 40 beds to the facility for adults, Mackey said. Under that plan, officials would have transferred patients from a state hospital in Burke County to the Charlotte facility. Mackey said investigators have also recently visited Strategic multiple times to look into serious allegations reported in December and January. “If justified, there will be specific enforcement action taken,” Mackey said. “Since safety of the residents is the top priority, while we were on site, we verbally informed the facility about our findings so they could move forward with implementing an immediate corrective action plan.” ‘A lot has come to light’ Both supporters and critics say even the best-run psychiatric centers are bound to see trouble. Many patients suffer with serious conditions such as personality disorders and learning disabilities and sometimes behave violently. But the allegations against Strategic’s Charlotte hospital stand out, advocates for the disabled said. “During the past six months, at minimum, (Strategic) has committed numerous statutory and constitutional violations against the children it has admitted,” says a 2016 complaint letter sent to DHHS by the Council for Children’s Rights, a Charlotte nonprofit that provides legal services for Strategic patients and others. State regulators, who looked into complaints against the hospital in 2016 and 2017, found troubling accusations. Among them: ▪ In the April 2017 incident, investigators reported, a 17-year-old with a history that included three suicide attempts, childhood abuse and major depressive disorder escaped from the hospital grounds. When Strategic staff members caught him two blocks from the facility, the teen said, they used unnecessary force, tackling him and dragging him into a car. He also alleged that staff threatened to beat him up if he told anyone about being tackled, the report said. “I do not believe they had to tackle him,” a Strategic worker said in an interview, according to documents. “I have worked with the police department prior to this with the same staff and know them.” Two days later, the teen attempted suicide. Staff found him lying in front of a sink gasping for air and blue in the face. State officials concluded that the hospital did not properly report the suicide attempt to the state and did not investigate the circumstances. According to state regulators, a Strategic executive acknowledged the staff’s response to the incident was flawed. “A lot has come to light with your (state agency) investigation and we feel it is in the best interest that we self-report the suicide attempt and investigate the possible abuse reported upon his (Resident #1) return,” the executive said. “This event with (Resident #1) has opened my eyes to a lot of things such as our reporting processes, the need to dig deeper, and not taking things at face value.” ▪ In September, reports say, a patient suffering from depression alleged that a staff member physically abused him. The patient alleged that the worker had upset patients by calling them “b---hes and dumba---s,” so he decided to spit on the worker. That’s when he says the staffer slapped him and put him in a restraint hold normally used as a last resort when patients present a danger to themselves or others. Investigators watched video to determine whether the patient was abused, but said it was inconclusive. A day after the confrontation, the child’s mother said Strategic informed her about the restraint hold, but said she was not told about her son’s physical abuse accusation, reports say. State regulators found that the hospital did not report the alleged slap to a state registry within 24 hours as required. A review of Strategic records showed the patient spit and hit staff, but did not mention the accusation of abuse, the state said. Strategic said that DHHS investigated the accusations of abuse and ruled them unsubstantiated. The company also said it notified the state and the child’s family about the incident. But Strategic acknowledged that workers did not submit a report to the Health Care Personnel Registry within 24 hours. ▪ In the sexual assault case from last fall, court and police records say a teenage girl alleged that about 10 months earlier she and a Strategic staff member had sex. A grand jury in November indicted Lavic Williams on charges of having vaginal intercourse with a victim age 15 or younger. Williams, 28, has denied having any sexual contact with the girl, court records say. Prosecutors dropped the charges in December, saying they could not corroborate the victim’s account. ▪ DHHS spokesman Cobey Culton said regulators visited Strategic in January to investigate the New Year’s Day escape. Culton would not answer questions about the incident or provide a copy of reports. A police report says patients between the ages of 12 and 17 damaged property and assaulted someone before leaving the hospital about 10 p.m. Frankel, the UNC Wilmington professor, said he visited the hospital soon after the escape. One of the patients dismantled part of a wooden desk and the patients used the furniture piece to shatter a window and escape, Frankel said. He said it was a mistake to furnish a residential psychiatric center with furniture that can be taken apart. A balancing act Karen McLeod, president and chief executive officer of Benchmarks, a Raleigh-based trade association for behavioral health service providers, said that unsubstantiated allegations against Strategic and other providers should be viewed skeptically. Patients sometimes concoct phony stories about sexual and physical abuse to try to make trouble, McLeod said. That’s why state regulators work with operators such as Strategic who show a desire to improve instead of revoking their license, McLeod said. “If you close down every facility where something happens, you would have no facilities,” McLeod said. But state Rep. Verla Insko, an Orange County Democrat who has been a staunch advocate for mental health services, said the Strategic case reflects how DHHS might be too reluctant to revoke the licenses of psychiatric centers. “It calls for immediate action,” Insko said. “Something is wrong with the state if these places aren’t shut down.” Clasen-Kelly: 704 358-5027 Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article199343444.html#storylink=cpy |
| This is how NC is punishing a psych center where kids say they were abused By Fred Clasen-Kelly And Cassie Cope [email protected] LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest Reddit Print Order Reprint of this Story February 12, 2018 12:01 PM Updated 6 hours 16 minutes ago State officials have shut down admissions to a south Charlotte psychiatric hospital where children say they were sexually and physically abused, according to newly released documents. Investigators determined conditions at Strategic Behavioral Center put patients in “immediate jeopardy,” says a letter to Strategic from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That means the state is recommending Strategic not receive money from Medicaid, a joint state and federal health insurance program for the needy that covers the cost for most of Strategic’s patients. Strategic is one of 37 licensed psychiatric residential treatment facilities in North Carolina where patients get round-the-clock care for severe mental and behavioral conditions. The 60-bed facility located on Sharon Road West near South Boulevard cannot accept new patients until problems are fixed, DHHS said. NDHHS spokesman Cobey Culton said in an email that officials visited the hospital as recently as last week and more sanctions could be imposed, including a possible financial penalty. The moves come after the Observer made inquiries about accusations of mistreatment and a New Year’s Day incident in which 10 patients – as young as age 12 – shattered a window and escaped the hospital. On Monday, the chief executive officer for Strategic’s Charlotte hospital said in a written statement that the hospital is working with the state on an improvement plan and retraining staff. “Our highest priority is to provide safe, high-quality care to our residents,” Orvin Fillman said. “It is important to note that the DHHS recommendation on ending participation in Medicare and Medicaid would not go into effect if we submit a satisfactory improvement plan, which we fully intend to do.” Articles published Friday detailed allegations from patients, including a girl who says she had sex with a staff member. In another case, a teen said a hospital worker called patients “b---hes and dumba---s” and slapped him in retaliation for being spit on. A North Carolina mom also said workers at Strategic put her teen daughter in a “protective hold” at least 38 times during a five-month period. Research shows physical restraints can cause unnecessary trauma to patients who are already struggling. In a letter to Strategic dated Feb. 6, DHHS said the hospital’s failure to secure doors and provide proper supervision helped lead to the New Year’s Day escape and an assault on staff. Strategic did not communicate to its staff the patients’ histories of violent behavior or escape attempts, the letter said. The hospital “failed to implement policies and elopement precautions thereby creating an unsafe environment for the delivery of safe resident care,” DHHS said. “As a result, residents destroyed wooden furniture and made weapons which placed residents and staff in an unsafe environment.” Strategic is owned by a Tennessee company that runs mental treatment centers in six states, including three in North Carolina. Clasen-Kelly: 704 358-5027 Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article199655819.html#storylink=cpy |
| Mayes County foster parent charged with rape of 15-year-old boy in her care By Sheila Stogsdill for the Tulsa World SHEILA STOGSDILL Feb 12, 2018 Updated 1 hr ago 1 Facebook Twitter Email Stephanie Cowan DOB 2-6-84 Facebook Twitter Email Print Save PRYOR — Four children placed with a Mayes County woman in foster care have been removed from her home after she was accused of raping a 15-year-old boy. Stephanie Cowan, 34, of Salina was charged Jan. 24 in Mayes County District Court with three counts of second-degree rape. She is free on $30,000 bail and set to return to court in March. Cowan, also a Pryor junior high school science teacher, was suspended and subsequently resigned from the school district when charges were filed, according to Superintendent Don Raleigh. The former teacher admitted to investigators she had sex and sexual contact with the teen on four separate occasions since he was placed in her care on Oct. 31, according to an arrest affidavit. Stephanie Cowan and her spouse were approved for placement by DCCCA Tallgrass Family Services on Jan. 19, 2017, said Casey L. White, Department of Human Services communications manager. DCCCA Tallgrass Family Services is licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services as a child placing agency. “(The Cowans) completed and passed all of their required background checks and trainings prior to being approved,” White said. Three girls and one boy were placed with the Cowans, she said. All of the children have since been removed and placed in a safe home, White said. “We have many safeguards and checks in place to ensure safety of all the foster families we support,” said Jennifer Hethcoat, DCCCA director of communications. “All of these safeguards are not foolproof in predicting human behavior." Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crimewatch/mayes-county-foster-parent-charged-with-rape-of--year/article_8777741e-bdd7-57ba-9768-046ef7595bf1.html |
| Native American boarding school abuse victims seek new law Originally published February 12, 2018 at 2:44 pm Updated February 12, 2018 at 4:29 pm Share story By JAMES NORD The Associated Press PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota lawmakers are considering establishing a three-year window for victims of childhood sexual abuse at Native American boarding schools to file lawsuits against organizations like schools and churches, a move that supporters say would allow survivors to have their stories heard. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to debate a measure Tuesday that would create the new timeframe for victims to file civil claims and repeal a provision in state law banning victims 40 and older from recovering damages from people or entities other than the actual abuser. Louise Charbonneau Aamot is one of nine sisters who unsuccessfully sued over alleged sexual abuse committed before 1975 at St. Paul’s Indian Mission, a boarding school in Marty, South Dakota. The 67-year-old member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa said officials need to ensure it never happens again at any school or church. “We know that God’s with us on this journey. We’ve been through so much, and there’s so much pain,” she said. “But we’re hoping, you know, they listen to us this time.” The Associated Press typically doesn’t identify sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly. Attorney Michelle Dauphinais Echols, the bill’s author, said it’s for “healing and justice.” Victims haven’t had an opportunity to have their cases heard on the merits of their claims, she said. The South Dakota Supreme Court in 2012 dismissed the sister’s and others’ claims against religious groups including the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls. The court found that the lawsuits were filed years after the applicable statute of limitations had expired and that the diocese wasn’t liable because it wasn’t responsible for the children. The new legislation would clarify that any person or organization engaged in the Native American boarding school system may be held liable for childhood sexual abuse. The bill’s original language would eliminate the statute of limitations, but an amendment aims to create a 3-year window for filing claims, Dauphinais Echols said. Christopher Motz, executive director of the South Dakota Catholic Conference, said the organization doesn’t have a position on the bill. Democratic Sen. Kevin Killer, the bill’s sponsor, said lawmakers have the chance to end “this sad chapter” of South Dakota history by giving people due process and their day in court. “I will fight till the day that I die,” Charbonneau Aamot said in 2015. “There is no child in this world that should ever go through what we went through.” Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/native-american-boarding-school-victims-seek-sd-law-change/ |
| DCF forms statewide panel to analyze foster care failures exposed by 8 On Your Side investigation By Mark Douglas Published: February 12, 2018, 11:33 am Updated: February 13, 2018, 6:36 pm HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — DCF Secretary Mike Carroll has formed a blue ribbon panel of experts to review foster care failures in Hillsborough County that we first exposed a week ago in our 8 On Your Side investigation. I really want to know why it happened and so to get to the issue of why, I need to put folks on the ground there to do a much better review of that Circuit (Tampa),” Carroll said on Monday. “Quite frankly, to know how we keep ending up here.” In an interview Monday from Tallahassee, Carroll made repeated references to our 8 On Your Side investigation that uncovered foster teens spending day after day crammed into the cars of caseworkers at a Wawa gas station on Waters Avenue instead of spending their time in school, therapy or a foster home. Eckerd, which hired Youth and Family Alternatives (YFA) to perform foster care services for 1700 children with nearly $10 million a year of your tax dollars, has also claimed YFA was turning foster kids loose in the community with bus passes on a daily basis – because there was no other place for them to go. “You referenced some of it in your story about how some of them have different placements from night to night. That’s not a good practice either,” Carroll said. “In terms of a practice where you’re routinely bringing kids to a Wawa or they’re not in school or they’re not in placements at night, that’s totally unacceptable.” It turns out, that part of the investigation wasn’t much of a surprise to child welfare insiders. “That’s something we knew about, Eckerd knew about it, the folks on the ground knew about it,” Carroll said. “And that’s something I expect one of those systems issues that we work through.” RELATED STORY: Gov. Scott troubled by Hillsborough’s foster care failures brought to light by 8 On Your Side Carroll says his team of experts will start work this week and includes a number of people from around the state who are in a position to dig deep and determine what’s wrong with foster care in Hillsborough County. It will hold at least two public meetings and interview as many stakeholders as possible. The panel includes: Lee Kaywork, Retired CEO of Family Support Services of North Florida Linda Jewel Morgan, Senior Director of Strategic Consulting at Casey Family Programs John Cooper, CEO of Kids Central Karen Hill, Division Director of State Attorney in Circuit 6 (Children’s Legal Services) Frank Prado, Director of Operations of Florida Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office Rebecca Kapusta, DCF Assistant Secretary for Operations Patricia Medlock, DCF Northeast Regional Managing Director Traci Leavine, DCF Office of Child Welfare Former Dependency Judge James Seals Carroll said the DCF Inspector General is also looking into the foster care failures, and last week – at DCF’s urging – Eckerd took action to terminate the YFA contract with 90 days notice and start an emergency search for another provider for more than 1,700 foster kids in Hillsborough. “Once we learned of this behavior, we took swift action,” Carroll said. “DCF has required Eckerd Connects to make immediate changes and in working with Eckerd Connects, DCF strongly recommended termination of the contract to immediately address this issue.” Carroll says whatever root causes the panel uncovers for the foster failures we exposed, he is the one who bears ultimate responsibility. “These kids are our kids,” Carroll said.”That responsibility comes right up to me…I don’t accept any of these failures.” Source: http://wfla.com/2018/02/12/dcf-reviewing-hillsborough-foster-care-failures-exposed-by-8-on-your-side-investigation/ |
| Former employee: Staff at youth psychiatric facility encouraged fights, were violent with kids By Stephanie Zepelin Published: February 13, 2018, 6:00 pm Updated: February 14, 2018, 9:18 am Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) 649Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)649 Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) (WISH Photo) Related Coverage Indianapolis neighbors, police say kids are escaping a psychiatric treatment center INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In November, an I-Team 8 investigation revealed a runaway problem at a local psychiatric facility. After that story aired, dozens of former employees and residents reached out to I-Team 8 to share their stories. We discovered even more problems at the Resource Residential Treatment facility near Fountain Square. I-Team 8 spoke with a former resident, a parent of a former resident, and a former employee of Resource. They shared different points of view, but the same messages and the same issues with Resource. Resource Residential Treatment facility calls itself a “life-changing psychiatric residential treatment facility for children and young adults in Indianapolis.” According to their website they address a variety of psychological issues like depression, anxiety, substance abuse and PTSD. Jeromy & Justin Jeromy Baden says a staff member pulled his adopted son out of his bed and called him a gay slur. (WISH Photo) I-Team 8 started investigating what was going on inside Resource when Jeromy Baden contacted us in the fall of 2017. His son, Justin, was in the facility from December 2016 to June 2017. “It’s heart-wrenching,” said Jeromy Baden. “You can’t put into words the feeling you feel.” Jeromy Baden’s adopted Justin, or “Bubba” as he calls him, about three years ago. “He had these wonderful, cute, chubby cheeks and this huge smile,” said Baden. But things with Justin weren’t always all smiles “He can go from being the sweetest kid to some violence,” said Baden. During one of those times, Justin ran outside telling the neighbors Jeromy hurt him, when Jeromy says he had only been trying to calm him down. The police were called and a judge ordered Justin to spend time at Resource. “I was thankful that he was going to a facility,” said Baden. Baden said he almost immediately went from thankful to concerned. During visits to the center for family therapy, he says he noticed parts of Justin’s therapy reports that concerned him. “It said that one time, two kids jumped him and beat him up and it was a while before the staff even got there to separate them,” he said. Baden says there were also incidents involving the staff – like the time a staff member pulled Justin out of bed and called him a homophobic slur. In all, Baden told I-Team 8 about four separate incidents and showed us emails between himself and Resource staff that confirm two of them. “You promise them you’re not going to let anyone hurt them and for months, I had to let him stay in a facility where he was being abused,” Baden said. “You lose faith in the system quite a bit.” Audrey Audrey Smart-Huxley said the staff wouldn’t let patients go outside for fear that they would run away. (WISH Photo) Audrey Smart-Huxley was also a resident at Resource, at the same time as Justin. She echoed his stories of violence. “Things happened where people would get jumped and be put in hospitals,” she said. She says staff gave them packets to complete in order to graduate the program, but there was very little direct guidance and therapy, and she’d rather go back to a youth jail than go back to Resource. “All day we just sat on a unit,” she said. “They never gave us anything to do. There were times we weren’t allowed to go outside because higher up people said we can’t go outside. We would go outside, like, maybe once a month…because they were afraid people were going to run.” Audrey says a majority of the kids inside Resource come by way of the criminal justice system – as was the case for her and Justin. “I was excited to leave,” said Audrey. Data from the state Numbers Resource gave the Indiana Department of Child Services reinforce Audrey and Justin’s stories of violence. From January through November of 2017 there was an average of more than 35 resident-on-resident assaults a month. Physical fights are one of the things facilities like Resource are required to report back to DCS. The data also reveals an average of more than 28 resident-on-staff attacks a month. There was an average of 81.9 kids per month at Resource from January-November 2017. We compiled these stats based upon data received from DCS: Resident-on-residents attacks per month in 2017 Resident-on-staff attacks per month in 2017 Average monthly number of residents OPTIONS TREATMENT CENTER 9 0.9 25.5 RESOLUTE ACQUISITION CORP 20.5 1.9 62.6 RTC RESOURCE ACQUISITION CORP 35.3 28.5 81.9 According to their website, Acadia Healthcare operates 579 behavioral health facilities in 39 states. They have seven in Indiana, and four in Central Indiana. We obtained data from DCS on the resident-on-resident attacks and resident-on-staff attacks for the other three Acadia facilities in Central Indiana. According to DCS, staff-on-resident attacks are typically reported to their hotline and assessed further. A former Resource employee who declined our request for an interview told I-Team 8 that Resource has been on a DCS plan of correction for about two years. We asked DCS and filed a Public Access request, but never got a response. “Sarah” “Sarah” was a nurse at the facility for two years. (WISH Photo) I-Team 8 also spoke with a woman spent two years as a nurse at Resource. She is still in the industry and spoke to us under a condition of anonymity, so we are calling her Sarah. “With concern for my own safety and knowing that is could possibly get bad and I could get really injured, I had to make the decision to put myself first,” said Sarah, ”which was not easy because I love those kids. And I stuck it out for two years because I loved those kids.” Sarah struggled with whether to talk with us, because she still respects some of the people who work at Resource, but she says a majority of the employees are young and vastly underqualified to work with kids struggling with major mental health issues. “The staff members would encourage the kids to fight for their entertainment,” she said. “They started making concessions, bringing in outside food, doing things they shouldn’t have been doing for the kids and that in turn would create drama. There was one incident where I was told a staff member had brought marijuana onto a unit.” Sarah said she witnessed several incidents where staff members were violent with the kids – and she’s told us she is aware of a male staff member who engaged in sexual activity with female residents. “The big riots were maybe once every few months, but there were restraints almost daily for the kids and the aggression is a daily occurrence,” she said. Sarah also said Resource does not use surveillance cameras. Neither Resource nor Acadia Healthcare would not confirm or deny this. We did our own survey and asked other residential psychiatric facilities in the state. Ten of the 11 facilities said they do have cameras – the other one would not say whether they have cameras, for safety reasons. Resource I-Team 8 reached out to Acadia Healthcare, the company that owns Resource, about what is happening there. They declined our request for comment and said they would pass our request along. We also reached out to Resource, and got the following statement from CEO Jessica Laymon: The Resource Team is comprised of many compassionate and dedicated staff who are committed to providing, not only for the daily needs, but also the treatment and healing of some of the area’s most vulnerable and traumatized youth. Chronic, long term abuse and neglect such as that suffered by many of the youth served in the Resource program, manifests as severe psychiatric and behavioral disturbances including self-harm, suicidal ideation, chronic desire to run away, aggression, and others. Resource has zero tolerance for patient harm and closely follows the High Fidelity model for zero patient harm. As such, Resource provides a multi-faceted training program along with job shadowing, coaching, and competency assessment to ensure all staff know and understand the important policies and protocols for providing safe, trauma informed care for this vulnerable population. This highly effective program touches every aspect of the Resource treatment program to ensure that patient behaviors are managed safely and in a trauma informed way, while intensive therapeutic interventions focus on reducing and extinguishing such behaviors. In the rare circumstances when staff do not follow defined protocols, Resource acts swiftly to ensure patient safety. Resource is committed to recruiting, securing, training, developing the highest quality staff in order to provide the excellent care these youth deserve.” “I think that light needs to be shown,” said Sarah. “I think something needs to be done and I want to be an advocate for those kids because there are many of them that can have a future if they have an advocate.” Jeromy Baden filed complaints with DCS about what his son says happened. Baden says he got a letter from DCS stating there was not enough evidence Justin was abused. But he wanted to speak out in hopes of preventing something similar from happening to other families. “I wont give up,” Baden said. “I’ll keep going. I’ll keep going until I fall over. It’s gotta stop.” Source: http://wishtv.com/2018/02/13/former-employee-staff-at-youth-psychiatric-facility-encouraged-fights-were-violent-with-kids/ |
| Disability rights group blames state for boarding home deaths | KRQE News 13 Disability rights group blames state for boarding home deaths February 13, 2018 By KRQE News 13 under News Briefs ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A disability rights group says the state is responsible for at least two deaths in New Mexico boarding homes. Disability Rights New Mexico has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health claiming the agency has failed to license and regulate boarding homes, putting the disabled at risk of abuse and neglect. The group points to two deaths in a Las Vegas home in 2013. It also says the DOH failed to act on recommendations from a 2010 legislative study to establish better standards. Source: http://krqe.com/blog/2018/02/13/disability-rights-group-blames-state-for-boarding-home-deaths/ |
| Indictment: Nonprofit for troubled youth defrauded government of $400K Nonprofit meant to help troubled youth defrauded government of $400K, prosecutors say Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal Published 6:07 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2018 Gavel leaning against a row of law books(Photo: heliopix, Getty Images/iStockphoto) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE Employees of a Louisville nonprofit that contracted with the state to provide horse therapy and housing for youth in the juvenile justice system are accused of inflating participation numbers to defraud the government of more than $400,000. Clifford Wilkinson, a founder of the Bluegrass Training and Therapy Center, and program director Erica Bowen falsely claimed in more than 8,000 instances that youths had received services when they had not, according to a wire fraud and bribery indictment unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Louisville. It's unclear how many youths were actually helped by the programs. Through its contract with the state's Department of Juvenile Justice, the center was reimbursed various daily rates for the services it provided to the youth. Between 2012 and 2015, prosecutors say, Wilkinson and Bowen forged signatures of teens on program attendance logs and forced youths to sign in to programming they never attended. The falsified attendance logs added up to more than $400,000 in payments in state money and federal grants. Wilkinson and Bowen might have had help at the state level, as a juvenile justice employee, Shannon Anson, is named as a defendant in the case. According to the indictment, the equine center would send its attendance logs to Anson, who would approve them for reimbursement. She was paid $50,500 between 2013 and 2015, the indictment said. A spokesman for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, which oversees the Department of Juvenile Justice, deferred comment to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The nonprofit was founded in 2011 on a 20-acre site in the Valley Station area. It offered “equine day training” and transitional housing for youth in the custody of the state’s juvenile justice department to help them prepare for life after their sentence. Kentucky Secretary of State records show the nonprofit was dissolved in late 2016. A for-profit business, the Bluegrass Aquatic Rehabilitation and Training Center, also operates on the site and was founded by Wilkinson and employs Bowen. A call to the center Thursday afternoon was not answered, nor was a call to a number associated with Anson. If convicted, Wilkerson and Bowen could be sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison and Anson no more than 10 years. They are due to make their initial appearance in court before Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin on Feb. 22. Assistant United States attorneys Stephanie Zimdahl and Marisa Ford are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. Reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at 502-582-4989 or [email protected]. Read or Share this story: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2018/02/15/equine-nonprofit-defrauded-government-indictment/342682002/ |
| Former Amador Rodriguez Boot Camp employee accused of having sexual encounter with minor by CBS 4 News John Jacob Mendoza, 26, has been charged with sexual assault and improper relationship between educator and student--both second-degree felonies.(Photo courtesy of the Harlingen Police Department) A former Amador R. Rodriguez Boot Camp employee has been accused of having a sexual encounter with a minor. Harlingen police say they found 26-year-old John Jacob Mendoza with a 15-year-old girl in the backseat of a car in the early morning hours of Feb .11, according to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS 4 News. Both Mendoza and the teen were partially clothed at the time, according to the criminal complaint. The teen told police that Mendoza was her drill instructor at the boot camp and that they were planning to have sex before officers arrived, according to the criminal complaint. The Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department that oversees the Amador R. Rodriguez Boot Camp, however, tells CBS 4 News that the alleged victim was not a student at the boot camp. The department went on to say that Mendoza was not on-duty at the time of the incident. Mendoza has since been terminated and was charged with sexual assault and improper relationship between educator and student—both second-degree felonies. Read the Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department's full statement: The Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department has learned that an employee, while not on duty has been accused of and arrested for Improper Relations with a Minor and Sexual Assault. Due to the serious nature of the allegations, the employee has been terminated effective immediately. Since any accused individual is entitled to a presumption of innocence and in order to protect the identity and the privacy of the alleged victim, we are unable to provide further information at this time other than the alleged incident did not occur in any of our department’s facility(s)/programs and the alleged victim is not under the supervision of the Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department. The Department has and intends to continue to cooperate with all law enforcement and oversight agencies. Source: http://valleycentral.com/news/local/former-amador-rodriguez-boot-camp-employee-accused-of-having-sexual-encounter-with-minor |
| Shocking scale of sexual abuse at UK boarding schools revealed by ITV documentary This article and video contain material you may find distressing An ITV documentary has revealed the true extent of sexual abuse at the UK’s boarding schools, with hundreds of people accused of carrying out sexual attacks in recent years and dozens of ongoing police investigations. In the Exposure programme to be broadcast on Monday, journalist and author Alex Renton - who was sexually abused as an eight-year-old by his teacher at one of the country’s top boarding schools - investigates the private schools that appeared willing to disregard children’s safety, with some failing to take action against predatory paedophiles who groomed and assaulted young boarders repeatedly - sometimes getting away with it for decades. Alex Renton was sexually abused as an eight-year-old by his teacher Credit: ITV Exposure Despite the years that have passed since Alex’s time at school, the reporting of abuse allegations is still not legally mandatory at all schools in the UK. ITV’s Exposure made a Freedom of Information request to every police force in the UK and 24 responded. The results showed: Since 2012, 425 people have been accused of carrying out sexual attacks at UK boarding schools Not every force could provide further details but at least 160 people have been charged so far. At least 171 of the total number were accused of historical abuse. Since 2012 at least 125 people have been accused by children of recent sex attacks at boarding schools. There are at least 31 ongoing investigations. Just over half of the forces responded, meaning the total figure is likely to be far higher. Credit: ITV Exposure (reconstruction) Boarding schools are among the most influential institutions in Britain – responsible for educating many politicians, judges and business leaders and 75% of Britain’s prime ministers. An estimated one million people in Britain today went to boarding school and approximately 75,000 children still board today in around 480 state and independent boarding schools. In the programme, a number of abuse survivors are interviewed, exposing the systemic failures that allowed paedophiles to go unpunished, in some cases permitting them to continue teaching elsewhere in the private and the state sector, preying on more vulnerable children. ‘I could smell the abuse’: Phillip’s story Phillip Witcomb was abused by his housemaster David Panter Credit: ITV Exposure One of the survivors of boarding school abuse who appears in the programme is Phillip Witcomb. In 1975, aged 13, Phillip arrived at Lucton School in Herefordshire – a school for children aged five to 18. His housemaster was a man named David Panter. Phillip told ITV Exposure how Panter began to abuse him in the showers. Phillip worked up the courage to tell the headmaster, Keith Vivian, what had been happening. So you describe it in your own childish way. And I remember this big hand, cause he had massive hands, Keith Vivian, coming down on my shoulder, ‘Now boy, now let’s stop telling stories. Run along to your class. Off you go, boy.’ And you’d get washed out the door. So, that is actually what happens. – Phillip Witcomb David Panter was jailed for indecent assault and gross indecency against seven pupils at Lucton School Credit: ITV Exposure Panter continued working at the school. The following year Phillip moved into a dormitory for older boys - away from Panter’s clutches. But three years later,now a school prefect, Phillip was told that Panter was still abusing the younger children. This little kid came out of Panter’s study. And he came out crying. And he just said to me, ‘Panter’s f***** me.’ And I could smell the abuse because abuse has a smell.” – Phillip Witcomb Phillip went to see Keith Vivian – the same headmaster who had refused to believe him years before. I just said, ‘No, I’m not backing down this time. If you don’t do something about I’m going to tell everybody.’ And it was quite interesting because nothing happened for quite a while in this last year and this carried on. And I went back again with the other house prefect. And he [Vivian] got angry with me…got very angry with me. Told me to go away and stop causing trouble. – Phillip Witcomb Phillip reported the abuse to Lucton School headmaster Keith Vivian The headmaster finally listened. By the next day, Panter was gone. His teaching career continued in the state sector. Exposure tracked down the headmaster who employed him at his next school – telling the programme he would have received a reference from Lucton School. In 2016, Panter was jailed for nine years for indecent assault and gross indecency against seven Lucton pupils. To avoid a contested trial, he was only convicted for the crimes he admitted. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations made by Phillip, which he still denies, as well as the allegations Phillip says were made to him by the younger boy. Lucton School told ITV Exposure that “our sympathies are with any survivors of non-recent abuse, however allegations from that period cannot be answered” because the school closed in 1985, and a new school was later opened under a trust which was “established as a new charity, a separate legal entity”. Lucton School in Herefordshire. David Panter continued his teaching career in the state sector after he left Lucton Credit: ITV Exposure The headmaster, Keith Vivian went on to become a vicar. He told Exposure he has “no recollection of any complaint made by Phillip”, but does remember when prefects came to him, and says he “asked Panter to leave the school premises immediately” and informed the school’s governing body. At no time would he not have acted immediately on such accusations”, but “it was not a police matter at that time”. What are boarding schools doing to prevent abuse? All schools are expected to have sufficient safeguarding arrangements to prevent abuse. These are checked in regular inspections. Exposure has analysed the most recent inspection report for every boarding school in England. When it came to safeguarding, one in ten schools either failed to meet national standards, or else didn’t meet the requirements needed to be given a rating of ‘good’. To find out what the industry is doing today to protect children, Alex Renton spoke to the Boarding Schools’ Association, which represents 90% of boarding schools: Credit: ITV Exposure (reconstruction) What I can say is that everyone who works in boarding today is professional, caring and doing everything they can to make safeguarding their number one priority. There's no doubt, that there was a period where some people at some schools experienced some appalling abuse. And it’s absolutely shocking. But in my experience, there isn't any school out there which doesn't want to listen to victims and, where it can, as quickly as possible, say sorry. – Robin Fletcher, Chief Executive of the Boarding Schools' Association Last year the BSA finally issued rules telling its members they must report any allegations of abuse, but say it is time for the government to make that law. Other leading organisations like the NSPCC, the Independent Association of Prep Schools and the Independent Schools Council told Exposure that they too support mandatory reporting for boarding schools. The government declined to give an interview but said that in 2016 they held a public consultation about whether it should be introduced, and they will publish its findings in due course. Boarding Schools: The Secret Shame – Exposure will be broadcast on Monday 19th February at 10.45pm on ITV. You can contact Alex Renton and the Exposure team in confidence at [email protected] If you have been affected by any of the issues raised you can find details of organisations able to provide help below: NAPAC offers support to adult survivors of all types of childhood abuse. Victim Support offers free and confidential services to anyone in England and Wales who has experienced sexual assault or rape now or in the past. You can call the Victim Supportline, which operates 24/7, on 0808 168 9111. Boarding Concern offers support to former boarders and boarding school survivors. Mandate Now is a pressure group that seeks the introduction of law requiring all staff who work in ‘regulated activities’ to report concerns about the welfare of a child. Alex Renton’s Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson Last updated Sun 18 Feb 2018 Source: http://www.itv.com/news/2018-02-18/shocking-scale-of-sexual-abuse-at-uk-boarding-schools-revealed-by-itv-documentary/ |
| Majority Of Injuries & Critical Incidents At Group Homes For People With I/DD Not Reported News Report | February 18, 2018 A majority of injuries and critical incidents that occurred at group homes for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts were not reported to law enforcement or to state agencies, despite existing state regulations requiring such reports. In Connecticut, 99% of critical incidents were unreported. In Maine, 95% were unreported. In Massachusetts, 58% were unreported. Source: https://www.openminds.com/market-intelligence/news/majority-injuries-critical-incidents-group-homes-people-dd-three-states-not-reported-law-enforcement-state-agencies-required/ |
| Lawsuit: hundreds of foster kids harmed by being bounced from home to home Child advocacy non-profit Children’s Rights is suing DCF over the extreme shortage of foster homes in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. By Christopher O'Donnell 1 day ago Share via email Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Facebook facebook Share on Twitter twitter Share via email email Share on LinkedIn linkedin Share on Google Plus google-plus Share on Whatsapp whatsapp Share on Pinterest pinterest Share on Reddit reddit × DCF Secretary Mike Carroll An international law firm and a children's advocacy group are suing the Florida Department of Children and Families for failing to provide adequate accommodation and care for foster children. Law firm Baker McKenzie and non-profit group Children's Rights on Tuesday filed the class action lawsuit against DCF on behalf of about 2,000 children in foster care in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. Between January 2016 and June 2017, more than 400 kids stayed in 10 or more different foster homes, known as placements, according to the lawsuit, which also names DCF Secretary Mike Carroll as a defendant. About 185 kids had 20 or more placements and 27 children were bounced between 80 and 140 homes during their stay in foster care. Children under the age of 6 have been housed in emergency shelters and group homes, and received care from shift workers, the lawsuit states. The instability that comes from being bounced from home to home "causes emotional, psychological, and physical harm," the lawsuit states. The frequent moves also mean many children with mental health issue are not getting the treatment they need, the lawsuit states. It calls for system-wide changes to be made to improve the level of care and accommodation. Placement has also been an issue in Hillsborough County where children were forced to sleep in unlicensed facilities including an office and teen rec center in 2016. After lead agency Eckerd Connects fired a contractor for leaving older children unsupervised, DCF last week ordered a state review of the county's foster care system. Source: http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/02/20/lawsuit-hundreds-of-foster-kids-harmed-by-being-bounced-from-home-to-home/ |
| Former Hillsborough foster teen says she survived foster care failures exposed by 8 On Your Side By Mark Douglas Published: February 20, 2018, 7:25 pm Updated: February 20, 2018, 7:35 pm Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) 775Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)775 Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hope Austrie is 18 years old, enrolled in college and studying criminology. She’s planning a career in law enforcement and is a member of the Tampa Police Explorers. But as recently as a year ago, her most ambitious dream was a warm bed, a hot meal and someone who might listen to her story about life as a foster child in Hillsborough County. “I wasn’t able to go to school, I wasn’t able to go to work. I was just able to sit in a van,” Austrie said. “I didn’t have a clean shower, I didn’t have a bed to lay in. I was a homeless person basically in a car. I was homeless.” Austrie called 8 On Your Side after our investigation exposed other foster kids spending their days, week after week, sitting in caseworkers’ cars in the parking lot of a Wawa gas station on Waters Avenue because they had nowhere else to go. We saw the same girl there week after week sitting in cars instead of school. That struck a chord with Austrie, who aged out of foster care last April after five years as a ward of the state “That girl was me,” Austrie said. “It felt like a cage.” She’s now living independently and attending HCC, but Austrie says her five years in foster care left scars on her soul that will be hard to forget. “It felt like I was in a dungeon and I didn’t have anybody to help me escape,” Austrie said. “Every night when I used to be in foster care, I would just be laying down and close my eyes and think – if just one person hears my story, what will happen in this world, what will happen to this agency If just one person hears me out.” She told us of bouncing between 20 or more homes during her five years in foster care, single night placements as far away as Orlando or Volusia County and spending many nights hungry and without the ability to take a shower or have fresh clothes because of her foster care instability. Austrie remembers the kindness of a few caseworkers who seemed to care about her, and many who did not. “They’re monsters, that’s how I see them – as monsters.” After giving birth at the age of 14 while in foster care, Austrie says she complained to DCF, the Inspector General and the private child welfare agencies the state pays to provide foster care in Hillsborough County such as Eckerd, YFA and Camelot. She railed about her own treatment and the inability to be with her daughter, who is now four years old and also in foster care. Austrie said no one acted on any of her complaints of mistreatment, even after she reported bruises on her daughter that she believed was the result of abuse in a foster home. “It makes me feel angry because it’s like there’s nothing I can do about it and I was in that situation,” Austrie said. She now tries to focus on the future and imagines a life with her daughter away from Tampa, the foul memories of her foster care and the abusive home life that made her a ward of the state in the first place. “My hopes and dreams for life are to become a police officer so I can protect and serve these kids and help them grow and become the person that they’re supposed to be in life,” Austrie said. DCF will soon send a panel of experts to Hillsborough for a top to bottom review of the foster care failures we helped expose in our recent Rides to Nowhere investigation. If Austrie could speak with DCF Secretary Mike Carroll who ordered the review, she says this is what she’d tell him: “Please, please do what you can to get the right people to help these kids. Otherwise its just going to be a revolving door.” Source: http://wfla.com/2018/02/20/former-hillsborough-foster-teen-says-she-survived-foster-care-failures-exposed-by-8-on-your-side/ |
| Drug rehab sued over fraud, exploitation, neglect and wrongful death River Oaks subject of I-Team investigation Adam Walser 7:21 PM, Feb 16, 2018 7:23 PM, Feb 16, 2018 Share Article x Widow files claim against a drug treatment center that is has been the subject of an I-Team Investigation. Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Widow files claim against a drug treatment center that is has been the subject of an I-Team Investigation. RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A widow is seeking justice tonight against a drug treatment center that's part of an ongoing I-Team investigation. “There is an absolute lack of oversight, there's a lack of supervision,” said Tampa Attorney Jack Gordon. $7 Million jury verdict against American Addiction Centers rehab Drug treatment center had more than 400 calls to 911 in 2 years Winter Haven church pastor arrested for improper sexual conduct with two minors I-Team: Drug rehab center bills patient's insurance nearly $1,000 a day for drug testing He is suing River Oaks Drug Treatment Center and its parent company American Addiction Centers, alleging their negligence led to his client's death. Graeme Hill flew to River Oaks from Illinois in December of 2016, hours after speaking to an AAC patient recruiter, who he spoke to during a mental breakdown. “He was taken into custody at the Tampa Airport when he first arrived in Florida, because he was delusional, he was paranoid, he was essentially in a full-blown psychotic episode,” Gordon said. Instead of taking him to the hospital, the driver took him to River Oaks. “There was nobody who was qualified to otherwise perform an intake process to evaluate him,” Gordon said. He walked away from the facility and stepped in front of a car, killing him. AAC didn’t respond to a request for a comment about the lawsuit, but they previously told us they always meet or exceed staffing requirements, by having a physician on call. “We don't have any fences. No fences. They can come and go as they please,” said former River Oaks Transportation Manager Mike Isom. He said he saw video of Hill from the facility’s security cameras on the night Hill died. “You can see the client, along with the behavioral tech, walking up and down the hallway. You can see how stressed he was,” said Isom. River Oaks bills patients thousands of dollars a day... but has hundreds of emergency calls in its two-year history. Last month, another patient shot himself with a stolen gun during a home burglary attempt. “There's a significant danger, not merely to the patients who are traveling to the state of Florida to garner this treatment, but to the surrounding neighbors, to the surrounding Florida citizens,” Gordon said. Hill's widow is seeking a jury trial in Hillsborough County and damages in excess of $15,000. If you have information about a drug treatment center or sober home in the Tampa Bay area you’d like to share with the I-Team, contact us at [email protected] Source: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/drug-rehab-sued-over-fraud-exploitation-neglect-and-wrongful-death |
| Residential treatment center closing in Auburn; up to 120 to lose jobs Updated 11:35 AM; Posted 10:57 AM Cayuga Centers, 101 Hamilton Ave. Auburn(Cayuga County) 0 shares By Elizabeth Doran [email protected], syracuse.com AUBURN, NY - A residential treatment center in Auburn in Cayuga County is closing, and plans to lay off up to 120 people, the center has announced. Cayuga Centers made the decision Wednesday to shut down the center at 101 Hamilton Ave. in Auburn after losing more than $2 million since July, the center said in news release. When all the residents have been discharged, up to 120 workers will have lost their jobs, said Edward Hayes, the company's president and chief executive officer. Officials at Cayuga Centers say the program will likely close within 90 days. The 166-year-old treatment center said it has had trouble attracting youths appropriate for its center. It does not, for example, accept sexual offenders, officials said. Most of the youth residences are off Hamilton Avenue in Auburn. The program is closing partly due to a drop in the number of young people who are being placed in centers like this, said David Connelly, chairman of the Cayuga Centers board. Placing troubled youth with suitable families appears to most effective, he said. Cayuga Centers continues to operate at its other programs in nine upstate NY locations and in New York City, Florida and Delaware. Connelly said they regret having to lay off people. "They have been working extraordinarily hard, heart and soul, to make our residential program work under increasingly difficult circumstances,'' he said. Source: http://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/2018/02/resdential_treatment_center_closing_in_auburn_up_to_120_to_lose_jobs.html |
| Illinois group homes still troubled despite reform promise By The ASSOCIATED PRESS 12:24 am CHICAGO – A newspaper investigation has found that despite Illinois officials’ promise to reform troubled group homes for disabled adults, allegations of abuse and neglect have risen, staffing levels have fallen and state oversight has been slow. State officials and legislators pledged to fix the system after a 2016 Chicago Tribune investigation revealed that the state concealed evidence of harm and death at group homes. In a follow-up investigation, the newspaper obtained state enforcement records that show many group homes still are unprepared. According to the Tribune, more than half of group homes aren’t wheelchair accessible. More than 1,600 homes are not compliant with the American with Disabilities Act, inspection records show. The newspaper also found state oversight remains inconsistent. Some victims waited weeks before they were interviewed by state investigators, audit records from fiscal 2017 show. Staffing shortages also continue to affect the industry, according to some group home owners. According to the office of the Illinois Auditor General, allegations of abuse and neglect reached a record high with more than 3,600 cases in fiscal 2017. The Illinois Department of Human Services said reforms set to launch this year will address some of those problems. An online scorecard will rank group homes and will include inspection results and links to online copies of investigative findings involving abuse, neglect or financial exploitation. But state officials will black out addresses to protect patients’ privacy. Spokeswoman Meghan Powers said copies of investigative report summaries can be downloaded. She said officials also are planning to change state policy so families of group home residents automatically receive copies of state investigations. Source: http://www.nwherald.com/2018/02/24/illinois-group-homes-still-troubled-despite-reform-promise/ae15a8k/ |
| Austin's anti-displacement task force holds public meeting By: Destiny Chance Posted: Feb 24 2018 09:44PM CST Video Posted: Feb 24 2018 09:57PM CST Updated: Feb 24 2018 10:00PM CST The City of Austin's anti-displacement task force held a public meeting for the first time this Saturday. They are working to combat gentrification in East Austin and the meeting is something longtime residents say they have been anxious to attend. "You have to live it to understand it....On one hand you see someone who's American who is from this country and they move here...But then they come to an area they know nothing about. They see a cheap home..close to downtown and say let's buy it." (@harrywx1999 on Twitter) (@harrywx1999 on Twitter) Alberto Garcia and his family have been living in Dove Springs for decades. "I dream of having a home in my neighborhood...That's starting to become a distant dream because of how expensive it's becoming." Over the past few years, he says rent for his 1 bedroom apartment has increased from 430 dollars.. to more than 11 hundred. He blames it on gentrification and says several of his family members have been pushed out from their mobile homes in East Austin for the same reason. "But as you can see we are dissastisfied. They want to talk for 45 minutes giving reports and data when we are living gentrification and displacement." Unheard. That's how the people of Susana Almanza's community say they feel after Saturday's anti-displacment task force forum. She's the Director of PODER - which stands for "People oOganized in Defense of Earth and Resources." The organization works for social and environmental justice in East Austin. "Those are all the things you have to go up against. Where am i going to live is it going to be by a grocery store? Is there a bus that's going to take us there? Will my kids get to keep their friends? Will they be able to stay in the same school? All of those things come up to the forefront when you're being displaced." During Saturday's forum, the panel discussed preserving and expanding affordable housing, small businesses, and cultural and historic resources. They also touched on CodeNEXT - Austin's first major rewrite of land development code in 30 years. It's meant to manage the city's growth but residents say they don't think it's the answer. "Zipcode 78702 which is east austin prodominently people of color is the second most gentrified zipcode in the united states. So we know we are being displaced. We know we are being gentrified. We don't need studies and we don't need to hear 20 30 40 minutes of data. These people behind me they have been displaced from the mobile home parks," according to Susanna. PODER has come up with a six point plan they would like the city to adopt alongside CodeNEXT: Create low income housing trust fund and appropriations Adopt right to stay and right to return programs for East Austin residents Use city owned land for low income housing Expand use of neighborhood conversation combined districts and historic districts Establish interim development regulations in areas with inadequate drainage. Implement Austin environmental quality review. Source: http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/austins-anti-displacement-task-force-holds-public-meeting |
| Mentally ill woman dies after transfer to unlicensed Las Vegas group home A Henderson woman with no professional medical experience is transferring mentally ill people from local hospitals to unlicensed group homes — and a bipolar woman is dead after she was put in a Las Vegas home with no supervision. x Share Video Share Video 00:0003:0603:06 03:06 Woman Dies After Placement In Unlicensed Group Home James Madison in his room in his Las Vegas home Feb. 19, 2018. Madison was placed in the unlicensed group home for people with mental illness by Eileen Lee. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto James Madison smokes a cigarette butt outside in his Las Vegas home Feb. 19, 2018. Madison was placed in the unlicensed group home for people with mental illness by Eileen Lee. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto An "independent living home" at 1077 Westminster Ave. shown Feb. 12, 2018, where Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, left, and Jersharo Amey talk to a reporter Feb. 19, 2018, at a Las Vegas "independent living" home where they live. They found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, from left, Treva Lee and Jersharo Amey talk to a reporter Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Lee and Amey found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room at the home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, from left, Treva Lee and Jersharo Amey talk to a reporter Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Lee and Amey found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room at the home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, talks to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in her room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room at the home. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, talks to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in her room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room at the home. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, 44, talks Feb. 19, 2018, about finding Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Jersharo Amey, 45, right, and Treva Lee, 44, talk Feb. 19, 2018, about finding Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Rose Marie Caymo talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in one of her "independent living" homes where she rents rooms to several clients. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Rose Marie Caymo talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in one of her "independent living" homes where she rents rooms to several clients. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Rose Marie Caymo talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in one of her "independent living" homes where she rents rooms to several clients. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, left, and Jersharo Amey look for belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in the room of Rayshauna Roy, who they found dead in the room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where they live. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, right, and Jersharo Amey second from right, talk Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, to the family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where they help out. Lee and Amey found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, father Tony Wright, and mother Netshield Roy, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, father Tony Wright, and mother Netshield Roy, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Jersharo Amey, right, talks Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, to the family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where he helps out. He found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Tony Wright, father of Rayshauna Roy, talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Las Vegas home of Roy's mother, Netshield Roy. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room of an "independent living" home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Netshield Roy, mother of Rayshauna Roy, talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, at her Las Vegas home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room of an "independent living" home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Related Stories Police ID suspect in attack on student Friday at UNLV Ex-Las Vegas Councilman Ricki Barlow pleads guilty in fraud case Fifth passenger dies after Grand Canyon helicopter crash Driver in fatal weekend collision in west Las Vegas identified 1/30 2/30 3/30 4/30 5/30 6/30 7/30 8/30 9/30 10/30 11/30 12/30 13/30 14/30 15/30 16/30 17/30 18/30 19/30 20/30 21/30 22/30 23/30 24/30 25/30 26/30 27/30 28/30 29/30 30/30 Related Stories x Share Video Share Video 00:0003:0603:06 03:06 Woman Dies After Placement In Unlicensed Group Home By Ramona Giwargis / Las Vegas Review-Journal February 25, 2018 - 6:00 am James Madison in his room in his Las Vegas home Feb. 19, 2018. Madison was placed in the unlicensed group home for people with mental illness by Eileen Lee. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto James Madison smokes a cigarette butt outside in his Las Vegas home Feb. 19, 2018. Madison was placed in the unlicensed group home for people with mental illness by Eileen Lee. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto An "independent living home" at 1077 Westminster Ave. shown Feb. 12, 2018, where Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, left, and Jersharo Amey talk to a reporter Feb. 19, 2018, at a Las Vegas "independent living" home where they live. They found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, from left, Treva Lee and Jersharo Amey talk to a reporter Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Lee and Amey found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room at the home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, from left, Treva Lee and Jersharo Amey talk to a reporter Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Lee and Amey found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room at the home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, talks to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in her room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room at the home. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, talks to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in her room at the Las Vegas "independent living" home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room at the home. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who had depression and anxiety attacks, left, and Treva Lee talk to a reporter in Feb. 19, 2018, in Theubet's room at the Las Vegas "independent living home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room by Lee. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, 44, talks Feb. 19, 2018, about finding Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Jersharo Amey, 45, right, and Treva Lee, 44, talk Feb. 19, 2018, about finding Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Rose Marie Caymo talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in one of her "independent living" homes where she rents rooms to several clients. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Rose Marie Caymo talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in one of her "independent living" homes where she rents rooms to several clients. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Rose Marie Caymo talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in one of her "independent living" homes where she rents rooms to several clients. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, left, and Jersharo Amey look for belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in the room of Rayshauna Roy, who they found dead in the room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where they live. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Treva Lee, right, and Jersharo Amey second from right, talk Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, to the family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where they help out. Lee and Amey found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, father Tony Wright, and mother Netshield Roy, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto The family of Rayshauna Roy, father Tony Wright, and mother Netshield Roy, go through her belongings Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where she was found dead. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Jersharo Amey, right, talks Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, to the family of Rayshauna Roy, from left, father Tony Wright, mother Netshield Roy and uncle Dwayne McCarther, in her room of the Las Vegas "independent living" home where he helps out. He found Rayshauna Roy dead in her room. Roy had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Tony Wright, father of Rayshauna Roy, talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Las Vegas home of Roy's mother, Netshield Roy. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room of an "independent living" home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Netshield Roy, mother of Rayshauna Roy, talks to a reporter Wednesday, Feb. 21, at her Las Vegas home. Rayshauna Roy was found dead in her room of an "independent living" home. She had just been released from North Vista Hospital after a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto A Henderson woman with no professional medical experience is transferring mentally ill people from local hospitals to unlicensed group homes — and a bipolar woman died after she was put in a Las Vegas home with no supervision. The hospitals not only give Eileen Lee, 60, who runs a “consultancy” business, access to their mentally ill, elderly and homeless patients, but they also call Lee to find them a home. One of those patients was Rayshauna Roy. Medical records show that the 33-year-old was admitted to North Vista Hospital on Feb. 5 on a Legal 2000 hold, which is issued when someone is considered a danger to themselves or others. She suffered from drug addiction, depression, bipolar disorder and “suicide ideation,” the paperwork said. Roy was released to Lee three days later. Lee was called to take Roy to an “independent living” home — which Lee said she chose because it was cheap — on Westminster Avenue. Less than 24 hours later, Roy was found dead, facedown in front of a tiny refrigerator in her room. Her cause of death has not been released by the coroner’s office. “She was too sick to be living independently,” her father, Tony Wright, said Wednesday after viewing his daughter’s body at a mortuary. “She would be alive right now if she was put in the right situation. She wanted help, and obviously they let her down. They put her in a situation that ultimately caused her death. They can never repay me for what we lost. Never.” North Vista Hospital spokeswoman Sandy Muniz declined comment on Roy’s situation, citing patient privacy laws. She said the hospital “follows all appropriate discharge protocols, taking into account age, medical condition and the wishes of our adult patients, among other factors.” “Our hearts go out to all family members enduring the loss of a loved one,” Muniz added. Lee, who owns Above & Beyond Consultancy, said she placed Roy in the Westminster home because Roy had only $250 for rent. Lee said she didn’t know Roy was suicidal even though it was disclosed in her discharge papers. The house had no caretakers or supervision. “My intention was just to help her,” Lee said. “Instead of bringing her to the shelter, the hospital called me and asked if I can find a room for rent for her. She said she didn’t want to go to the shelter. I didn’t read her file because I saw her. I talked to her. She was bubbly and happy and excited.” Lee has no verifiable health care experience. Her business license expired two years ago, according to the secretary of state’s office. Lee operates two licensed group homes of her own but denied a request to visit them. State Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, a member of the legislative audit subcommittee that assessed the group homes, said he is alarmed by the situation. “If this individual is acting in a way that jeopardizes the health and safety of the public, that could verge on criminal activity,” Kieckhefer said. “This person is clearly unqualified and likely jeopardizing the health and safety of these individuals. It’s something we need to get our arms around immediately.” Nevada has come under fire in recent years for “dumping” mentally ill patients in California and paying home providers to house them in filthy conditions. Officials at overcrowded hospitals are often eager to release patients and free up beds. But Roy’s death raises new questions about why North Vista would release her to a stranger — especially when Roy’s family lived in Las Vegas. “Why didn’t they try to call her family?” said Netshield Roy, 55, Rayshauna’s mother. “Why did they take Eileen’s word? We need answers.” A social worker at a Las Vegas hospital — who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of job loss — said hospitals use Lee and other brokers as a last resort. “Many of them have no homes or incomes,” the worker said. “That’s when I would call Eileen and ask her for help.” Independent living Roy’s body was discovered by Jersharo Amey and Treva Lee, who live at the Westminster home. It’s not the first time the couple dealt with one of Eileen Lee’s clients. Amey and Lee worked at an unlicensed home for people with mental illness at 1331 Laguna Ave. Similar to group homes detailed in a recent state audit, the Laguna house was in squalid condition, the couple said, and patients endured bedbugs, stale or expired food and, in some cases, physical or financial abuse. “I saw them grab a mentally ill woman and push her, telling her to go to her room,” Amey said. “They kept one fridge for themselves — and it was locked up. The other was for the clients and was filled with expired food.” The home is run by Emanuel and Remy Rubianes, who denied physically assaulting patients or feeding them expired food. Remy Rubianes said her home on Laguna Avenue is “independent living” — meaning she needs no state license — although patients say she administers their medication, which requires state certification. Linda Theubet, a recovering alcoholic who has had depression and anxiety attacks, lived in that home for nearly four months. She was placed there by Eileen Lee, who took half the first month’s rent as “commission,” according to other residents. Lee said she takes only 25 percent. “Eileen came to the hospital and told me, ‘I can help you find a place.’ I didn’t know her,” said Theubet, 67. “The social worker kept pressuring me to go with her. I didn’t know where Eileen would take me. I told the social worker I have a bad feeling about this, and she said it would be fine.” The worker, Theubet said, works at Horizon Health and Rehab Center. Calls to the center were not returned. Amey and Lee, who found Rayshauna Roy dead, helped Theubet escape from the Laguna home. But the home remains in operation. James Madison, a Lee client who says he has struggled with schizophrenia and has brain damage, still lives there. The Las Vegas Review-Journal could not confirm his self-diagnosis. Madison, who is severely disabled, said the home providers take his entire Social Security check each month. “She cashes them in,” Madison said, sitting on the edge of his bed in a tiny room created with dividers as makeshift walls. “I haven’t seen my checks. I’m broke right now.” Remy Rubianes admitted to taking Madison’s ATM card. He asked for it back multiple times during an interview Monday, but Rubianes said his niece asked her to control his money. “If we give him all his money, he’ll spend it,” said Rubianes, who charges tenants $900 for rent and food. A refrigerator in the home contained mostly Spam and beans. “So we give it to him little by little. We give him some money for cigarettes and soda.” Her husband, Emanuel, lives at a second group home the family runs on Monterey Avenue. It’s not licensed by the state health department. Introductions Running a group home in Nevada — whether for “independent living” or for people with severe mental illness — is a profitable business. Rose Marie Caymo runs five such homes in Southern Nevada. Caymo said she collects rent ranging from $600 to $1,000 per person, per month — earning about $2,000 to $3,000 a month per home. Some residents use food stamps to supplement the rent, Caymo said. Unlike Rubianes, she doesn’t need Eileen Lee to find patients — she goes to the hospital and gets them herself. “When we moved here, I went to all the hospitals, rehabs, and I introduced myself,” Caymo said. “Now the social workers for the hospitals call me for assessments. I decide right there just by looking at their meds if they are qualified for independent living.” Like Lee, Caymo has no professional medical experience. Caymo also “referred” patients to Rubianes, who runs the Laguna Avenue home. Caymo said she was inspired to open the group homes when her neighbor Emper Ebiya told her to get into the business. Ebiya ran an unlicensed group home on North Ninth Street that housed seven men in filth — until the state shut it down for a second time this month. “She told me, ‘Why don’t you open one?’ I said ‘No, I don’t have any knowledge of this business,’” Caymo said. “She said all you have to do is go to the hospitals and introduce yourself.” Tony Wright, Rayshauna Roy’s father, likened it to patient trafficking. “It seems she goes to the hospital, recruits people who are gullible and trustworthy, puts them in facilities and there’s a monetary gain for her,” Wright said. “Who is this Eileen lady? Why did she take it upon herself to come into our family’s life and make a decision that has now cost us our daughter? We’ll never recover from this.” Contact Ramona Giwargis at [email protected] or 702-380-4538. Follow @RamonaGiwargis on Twitter. Source: https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/mentally-ill-woman-dies-after-transfer-to-unlicensed-las-vegas-group-home/ |
| Employees Brawl At Glen Rock Group Home Jerry DeMarco Facebook @cliffviewpilot Email me Read More Stories Share Tweet Pin It Email Print 2 Comments The female combatants "gave conflicting accounts of what had occurred," Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. GLEN ROCK, N.J. -- Things got physical between two arguing employees at a Glen Rock group home for people with developmental disabilities, police said. Both women fled after co-workers broke them apart Wednesday at the Spectrum for Living Group Home on Highwood Avenue, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. Responding officers soon found the women -- both from Paterson; one 23 and the other 24 -- who, the chief said, "gave conflicting accounts of what had occurred." "Neither employee required medical assistance nor did they desire to sign complaints at the time," he added. Management at the facility was notified and following up, the chief said. Source: http://fairlawn.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/employees-brawl-at-glen-rock-group-home/733418/ |
| 'The rehab mogul’ convicted of sexually assaulting treatment center patients This undated file photo released by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department shows Christopher Bathum, who described himself as "the rehab mogul." Bathum, who operated more than a dozen Southern California drug treatment and rehabilitation centers, was convicted Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, of 31 counts including the sexual assault of seven patients. (Los Angeles Sheriff's Department via AP) Los Angeles Sheriff's Department via AP Michelle Faust | February 26, 2018 Listen to story 00:59 Download this story 0.0MB A man known as the "rehab mogul" was convicted Monday of sexually assaulting eight women at his substance abuse treatment centers. Christopher Bathum, owner and operator of Community Recovery in L.A., Orange County and Colorado, was found guilty of 31 counts, including rape, forced oral copulation and sexual exploitation. He faces up to 65 years in prison. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office said the victims' ages range from their 20s to their early 30s. It said the 56-year-old Bathum "preyed upon female patients between 2014 and 2016 by providing them with drugs as they battled to overcome their addiction" and then sexually assaulted them "while they were under the influence." Bathum's sentencing hearing is set for April 17. In a separate case, he’s pleaded not guilty to charges that he billed insurers for more than $176 million in fraudulent claims. L.A.-based health care attorney Harry Nelson, chair of the American Addiction Treatment Association, said he regularly hears stories about abuse in the addiction and recovery industry. "I do think that the problem of sexual abuse and other violations of resident’s rights is still, unfortunately, a widespread problem," he said. "You have a lot of people who are very vulnerable as they’re trying to recover from a substance use issue. And it’s important that there be standards and training so that people are protected from bad behavior," said Nelson. Since the Affordable Care Act expanded health insurance for people with mental health issues, the treatment and recovery industry has exploded in size, he said. "Inevitably—as always happens with insurance reimbursement—a lot of opportunistic behavior occurred and a lot of profit-seeking occurred," said Nelson. He believes state and federal laws need to change to improve regulation and oversight of the industry. The California Department of Health Care Services oversees 1,100 residential treatment programs in the state. The department recently documented sanctions against more than 80 facilities, with some violations going back seven years. Most of the citations were for having an unlicensed facility. Another problem, according to Nelson, is that the Department of Health Care Services doesn’t regulate sober living homes. Federal law doesn't allow the state to get involved, and some of these homes provide treatment they’re not licensed to give, he said. "Sober livings are generally not supposed to be providing any services other than giving somebody a bed and meals," said Nelson. Source: https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/02/26/81162/the-rehab-mogul-convicted-of-sexually-assaulting-t/ |
| One mother tried sounding the alarm on 'deplorable' conditions at Dixmoor mental health facility Gary Middendorf/Daily Southtown An emotional Angie Britch, whose son was a resident at Mother’s House in Dixmoor, talks to the media about conditions at the facility. An emotional Angie Britch, whose son was a resident at Mother’s House in Dixmoor, talks to the media about conditions at the facility. (Gary Middendorf/Daily Southtown) Mike NolanDaily Southtown Privacy Policy The mother of one of the residents evacuated last week from what police described as a bedbug-ridden mental health facility in Dixmoor said Tuesday she tried to raise the alarm with village officials months ago about issues at the center. Dixmoor police on the evening of Feb. 22 removed 35 men and women from the facility, known as The Mothers House, who were living in what the village’s police chief called “deplorable” conditions. From Our Partners: Brian Ortega breaks down his nasty guillotine on Cub Swanson | POST-FIGHT INSIGHT Unmute Current Time 0:11 / Duration Time 2:25 Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% Stream TypeLIVE Remaining Time -2:13 Playback Rate 1 Chapters Chapters descriptions off, selected Descriptions subtitles off, selected Subtitles captions settings, opens captions settings dialog captions off, selected Captions Unknown, selected Audio Track This is a modal window. Caption Settings Dialog Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Font Size Text Edge Style Font Family The center, 14127 S. Leavitt Ave., is operated by the nonprofit Value Care Centers, but police had doors to the building boarded over to prevent occupancy. Angie Britch said her son, Bailey, became a resident at Mothers House last Dec. 7 and, although she lives more than two hours from the center, visited regularly. In one visit, she said, she used a washroom that she later found out was intended for the residents’ use and found it lacked hot water, toilet paper and paper towels, and that her son, who has autism, had complained to her he couldn’t shower due to a lack of hot water. Britch said she tried calling Police Chief Ron Burge on Dec. 10 to ask that officers conduct a welfare check, but that he hung up on her. Britch said she also emailed other village officials regarding Mothers House but never received a response. Following a news conference Burge held at the Dixmoor police station Tuesday, Britch went into a hallway to speak with the chief. Burge later denied hanging up on Britch, insisting he never had a phone conversation with her. “If she contacted me with an issue, I would have addressed it,” the chief said. A message left at village hall Tuesday for Mayor Yvonne Davis was not immediately returned. Britch said her son, who is 22, told her about bedbugs in the facility. She said Bailey did not know what the bugs were, but was told by another resident. Dixmoor police officers evacuate The Mothers House assisted living center Feb. 23, 2018, after police found "deplorable, filthy" conditions with no staff present. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune) Dixmoor police officers evacuate The Mothers House assisted living center Feb. 23, 2018, after police found "deplorable, filthy" conditions with no staff present. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune) SEE MORE VIDEOS The 35 people removed from Mothers House were taken to six area hospitals, and the Illinois Department of Human Services had said it would help to find new housing for them. Britch said her son was moved Saturday to another facility. During Tuesday’s news conference, Burge told reporters that he is trying to determine how the center was cleared by the village to operate. The chief previously said the center lacked a business license. “This just didn’t drop out of the sky,” he said of the center. “Someone allowed that facility to set up shop in the village of Dixmoor.” Burge said that some files at village hall pertaining to the center have gone missing. “I’m just trying to connect the dots,” he said. Britch said her son had been moved to Mothers House following a hospital stay, and although it was not her first choice, she knew it would be temporary until another center was located. The facility’s website said Mothers House cares for people with behavioral and developmental disabilities, and Britch said she was told there was therapy and counseling for residents and the center was staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Burge previously had said there was no staff on duty the night residents were removed from the center, and that he was told it was a regular practice for residents to be locked in overnight with no staff present. Health inspectors were trying to determine exactly what services Mothers House provided, which could determine what licensing it needed or whether there was a violation of state regulations. The group home was not certified with either the state department of public health, which regulates facilities that provide medical services, such as nursing homes, or the state department of human services, which regulates mental health services. Value Care Centers is listed with the state as a behavioral health and social service provider and ambulatory health care facility, registered with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but state officials said it also wasn’t certified to provide residential mental health services. When state officials have no oversight authority, they notify local police of any suspected violations. In this case, responding to complaints from residents, Dixmoor police had sent Mothers House a letter in January, telling it to cease operations due to its lack of a local business license. While speaking to the media Feb. 23, 2018, Dixmoor Police Chief Ron Burge said 30 men and five women were evacuated from the building at 14127 S. Leavitt Ave. the evening prior. The health care facility known as The Mothers House is run by the nonprofit Value Care Centers and was operating without a license, according to authorities. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) [email protected] Twitter @mnolan_J Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-dixmoor-police-news-conference-st-0228-20180227-story.html |
| point Weather Network Live Cams: Remote Video Featured: Sky Drone 12 Storm Ready Resource Guide Current Conditions 39° F Overcast Feels Like: 25° F Wind: N 41 Humidity: % Dewpoint: ° F Sunrise: 6:19 AM Sunset: 5:36 PM Live Radar & Futurecasts Live Radar 7 Day Futurecast Currently Ocean Sponsored by: Target 12 Target 12 Target 12 Home Inside Mafia Tim White Walt Buteau Ted Nesi Dan McGowan Susan Campbell Consumer Investigations Eyewitness News Investigates Featured: 38 Studios Gordon Fox Investigation PawSox Future Special Reports Where's the Chief? Latest Headlines Eyewitness News, RWU to release results from exclusive poll of RI voters on Monday 6:22 pm MONDAY at 5 p.m. The survey – including an early look at the 2018 governor’s race – is set to be released on Monday at 5 p.m. Newsmakers 3/2/2018: Moderate Party Chairman Bill Gilbert; Poll preview 4:53 pm The head of the RI Moderate Party discusses Campaign 2018, and a political roundtable previews a forthcoming poll. 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PC tournament worthy? Sherman or Talib for Pats? Sick of Gronk tweets? March 1, 2018 Fred Lynn, Mike Tamburro to be inducted into PawSox Hall of Fame March 1, 2018 Johnson & Wales gets ready for D-III tournament March 1, 2018 More ———— On Air ———— TV Schedule FOX Providence The CW Providence myRITV Newsmakers Executive Suite The Money Pros Dan Yorke State of Mind News Links News Team Morning Message Podcasts ——— Community ——— Community Events Calendar Rescue a Pet Obituaries ———— About Us ———— Work for Us Pawtucket group home still open after Child Advocate report of drugs, sex trafficking By Steph Machado Published: March 1, 2018, 10:53 pm Updated: March 1, 2018, 11:04 pm PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Two group homes run by an embattled Pawtucket business are still in operation despite a report released in late January recommending the agency be shut down due to drug use, human trafficking and a general lack of oversight. The Office of the Child Advocate, which serves as a watchdog over the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), wrote in a scathing report in January that DCYF should cut ties with the Blackstone Valley Youth and Family Collaborative, which runs two group homes licensed by DCYF. A third home, on North Bend Street, burned down last year and is also described in the report. The other two are still operating, despite the findings of the Child Advocate’s six month investigation. Blackstone houses young men ages 16 to 21 who are placed in the homes by DCYF. “That home was being run like a criminal enterprise,” said Rep. Patricia Serpa, the chairwoman of the House Oversight committee. “I mean sex, drugs, you name it. And these are children that are supposed to under the oversight of DCYF? It was appalling.” The Child Advocate, Jennifer Griffith, detailed the findings of the report at an House Oversight committee hearing Thursday night. “I can’t see why they should continue to be allowed to have children there,” Griffith said. “They’re not supervising these youth.” READ THE FULL CHILD ADVOCATE REPORT » The report found that drugs, weapons, alcohol and stolen merchandise were found among the youth in the home, and staff members were not properly supervising the residents or reporting incidents to the police. In 2017, staff member Raysean Williams was charged with human trafficking, accused of using the Amey Street house to house human trafficking victims, including underage girls under the care of DCYF. The hearing became emotional at times, with Rep. Anastasia Williams, D-Providence, abruptly leaving the room after making an impassioned speech aimed at DCYF Director Trista Piccola. “It is my hope that when you leave here, that place will be shut down,” she said before leaving. “Because it needs to be shut down. Even burnt down.” “I can’t deal with this,” Williams said as she stood up and left the room. Griffith agreed with lawmakers, adding that she had initiated steps with Family Court to get the residents at the group homes placed elsewhere. “I do not think this place can be rehabilitated,” Griffith said. “I don’t know what we’re waiting for.” Piccola said DCYF has formally suspended future referrals to Blackstone, but was giving executive director Daniel Brito 30 days to fix the problems. “I’m not afraid to cut ties if we don’t believe that our kids are getting the care,” Piccola said in an interview with Eyewitness news. “But we want to be fair, we want to give people an opportunity to remediate the concerns. They either will or they won’t. But we’re prepared to cut ties if they don’t do it.” Piccola added that only one of the eight residents currently living at the two homes is underage. She also said the department was actively working to place youth with foster families instead of group homes. Efforts to reach Brito for comment about his agency were unsuccessful. The North Bend Street home has been rebuilt since the fire, but DCYF has not re-issued a license to Blackstone for that house to become a group home. Source: http://wpri.com/2018/03/01/pawtucket-group-homes-still-open-after-child-advocate-report-of-drugs-sex-trafficking/ |
| UPDATED: Youth counselor arrested for growing ‘shrooms By Emily Mieure Jackson Hole Daily Mar 1, 2018 Updated Mar 2, 2018 0 Facebook Twitter Email John Buchanan 9 remaining of 10 Thank you for Reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save A longtime Jackson resident was arrested late Wednesday night after police served a search warrant at his East Jackson house and found psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana. John Buchanan, 48, was arrested after police acted on an anonymous tip. “The main grow was in a large Tupperware container in the bedroom,” Jackson police Lt. Roger Schultz said. Detectives had not yet tested or weighed the drugs Thursday. “Calling it a grow is being generous,” Schultz said. There were misdemeanor amounts of marijuana and mushrooms, police said, but Buchanan appeared in Teton County Circuit Court on Thursday afternoon charged with possession and manufacturing, a felony. “I know these charges are serious,” Teton County Deputy Prosecutor Brian Hultman told the court. “I think he should go to Curran-Seeley for an evaluation.” Hultman didn’t argue for a high bond because he said Buchanan is not a flight risk. “He has good ties to the county,” Hultman said. “He’s been a resident for 25 years.” Hultman said in court that Buchanan has a DUI on his record from 2010 and a public intoxication charge from 2011. Buchanan told the court he works at the Van Vleck House, a group home that provides prevention, early intervention and treatment programs for youth. When called by the Jackson Hole Daily, representatives at Teton Youth and Family Services declined to comment. On Friday afternoon, officials from the group released the following statement: "We were not able to comment yesterday about John Buchanan as we were conducting our own internal evaluation and review," the statement said. "Our review indicates that drugs were not brought into any facility and that the staff in question was not a problem at work and in no way put residents at risk. The staff member is suspended and will not be at VVH. We will wait for further action after we learn more about the charges at hand. Additionally, we are working with Curran-Seeley to provide staff training on substance abuse, liability, health and self-care. Teton Youth and Family Services remains committed to providing the highest quality service to all children and families in our community.' The court set a $1,000 cash bond for Buchanan. This version of the article has been updated to include a statement from Teton Youth and Family Services. — Ed. Contact Emily Mieure at 732-7066, [email protected] or @JHNGcourts. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save John Buchanan Source: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/cops_courts/updated-youth-counselor-arrested-for-growing-shrooms/article_2619d74a-2036-517d-8cf4-1dabca9cdd6c.html |
| Ex-Counselor Sentenced to Prison for Child Enticement, Porn A former marriage and family counselor was sentenced to 25 years in prison for soliciting a child to have sex with him and for possessing child pornography. March 6, 2018, at 9:04 a.m. Ex-Counselor Sentenced to Prison for Child Enticement, Porn LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former marriage and family counselor was sentenced to 25 years in prison for soliciting a child to have sex with him and for possessing child pornography. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Ian Alexander Pincombe of Las Vegas was found guilty last year of one count of coercion and enticement, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of receipt of child pornography. The Department of Justice say Pincombe must register as a sex offender. Nevada interim U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson says Pincombe sent sexually explicit messages to someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl and kept a collection of violent child pornography. Authorities say Henderson police arrested Pincombe in May 2014 at a shopping center parking lot where he thought he was to meet with a teen girl for a sexual encounter. Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nevada/articles/2018-03-06/ex-counselor-sentenced-to-prison-for-child-enticement-porn |
| Ohio Man Who Posed as 'Scared Straight' Cop Gets Prison Ohio man sentenced to nearly six years in prison for handcuffing and assaulting students while claiming to be a police officer conducting "scared straight" programs. March 8, 2018, at 8:42 a.m. Ohio Man Who Posed as 'Scared Straight' Cop Gets Prison Share × Share on Facebook Post on Twitter Post to Reddit Email Share in LinkedIn Share on StumbleUpon Share on Google Plus AKRON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for handcuffing and assaulting students while claiming to be a police officer conducting "scared straight" programs. Prosecutors say 26-year-old Christopher Hendon, of Akron, was sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison Wednesday. He previously pleaded guilty to 31 charges, including abduction and kidnapping. Prosecutors say Hendon wore a badge, firearm and stun gun when he falsely told officials at two Akron-area schools in March and April that he was an officer for a program meant to scare children into avoiding bad behavior. Investigators say he tried to bring handcuffed children into the Summit County Courthouse and the Summit County Jail. He apologized during his sentencing hearing to "anybody and everybody who was involved." Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/ohio/articles/2018-03-08/ohio-man-who-posed-as-scared-straight-cop-gets-prison |
| Ex- Hancock County teacher gets 3 years in prison BLADE STAFF Published on March 7, 2018 | Updated 4:37 p. m. Share Tweet Share Email Comments Print FINDLAY — A former Riverdale Local Schools teacher was sentenced in Hancock County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old female student last year. Brooke L. Rosendale, 27, of Bloomdale was sentenced by Judge Reginald Routson for sexual battery, a third-degree felony. Rosendale pleaded guilty to the charge in January, and two additional counts of sexual battery were dismissed, according to court records. Rosendale, a former fifth-grade elementary special education teacher, also surrendered her teacher’s license, said Hancock County Prosecutor Phil Riegle. The incidents happened between Jan. 4, 2017, and Feb. 3, 2017, according to court documents. The Hancock County Sheriff's Office investigated the incident after it was reported by the girl's parents on March 12, a detective said. Source: http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2018/03/07/Former-Hancock-County-teacher-sentenced-to-three-years-in-prison.html |
| Vernon Group Home Worker Accused of Abusing Resident Published at 11:47 AM EST on Mar 8, 2018 Trending Stories Vernon Police Vernon police have arrested a staff member of a group home who is accused of abusing a resident who has the cognitive functioning of a small child. Police said it happened as she cleaned the resident, who had defecated on himself. Vernon police arrested 54-year-old Obbileita Prude, of Hartford, Wednesday in connection with an incident reported at a Vernon group home in October 2017. Police said a concerned staff member had called authorities and reported that Prude “bullied” the victim, “slapped his face” and “pushed” him against a wall while she cleaned him after he defecated himself. Vernon police also notified the State Department of Developmental Services and worked with them on the investigation. Farmington police located Prude, then Vernon police took her into custody, according to police. She was charged with cruelty to persons, third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and unlawful restraint. She was held on a $10,000 surety bond and will appear in Rockville Superior Court today. Source: https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Vernon-Group-Home-Worker-Accused-of-Abusing-Resident-476268563.html |
| At Florida home for the disabled, scathing report comes on heels of bizarre death By Monique O. Madan [email protected] March 08, 2018 07:00 AM Updated 13 minutes ago Carlton Palms Educational Center in Mount Dora is a gorgeous place. The isolated facility — the only one in the state that’s licensed to care for intellectually disabled Floridians with severe behavioral challenges — is wedged between farmland and serene lakes; long, graceful strands of Spanish moss dangle from the branches of nearby oak trees. It’s also the place where 26-year-old William James Lamson died last week after beating his head against objects in his bedroom, police say. Five years before that, it was where a non-verbal Broward girl succumbed to dehydration days after her arrival at her new home. In 1997, it was where Jon Henley, 14, was found dead in his bed with low levels of anti-seizure medicine in his system. Most recently, it was where a man was beaten up by his caregivers. William James Lamson “I did not observe any blood in [Lamson’s] bedroom,” said a Lake County deputy in a March 1 police report. “It was explained that the deceased was a self-harmer, and was constantly banging his head.” How Lamson was able to slam his head against a hard surface so long without being stopped by staff remains a mystery. As of Wednesday, the cause of death had not yet been determined by the medical examiner’s office pending toxicology tests. The young man’s death — currently being investigated by the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Children & Families — came days before a federally funded advocacy group released a 33-page report detailing “abuse or neglect” at the long-troubled complex for disabled people with complex behavioral problems. The investigation by Disability Rights Florida has shed more light on the happenings in the complex, which for years has had state administrators scrambling to shut it down amid numerous abuse reports, and settlement agreements between the state and Carlton Palms. The agreements ultimately mandated improved video surveillance and random inspections. In the report released Monday, the advocacy group, which combed through 28 allegations of abuse or neglect that happened in the first nine months of 2016, says surveillance footage shows a resident being slapped by a staffer and residents being strapped into makeshift restraint chairs inappropriately. The report also details how staffers failed to explain why a resident suffered a black eye, and describes the staff’s “outright avoidance” to file accurate and timely resident injury reports. In the case of the black eye, two different reports about the injury were made by the same person after the resident changed his story about being punched by a caregiver. The incident was reported to state officials almost a week later instead of within one business day, as per APD policy. In another case, a resident was restrained for almost four hours despite being “calm the entire time.” Florida law prohibits the use of restraints as punishment. “It looks like a medieval restraint. It’s not a straitjacket, but it’s the modern form of one,” said Matthew Dietz, the attorney for Arnaldo Rios Soto. In 2016, Soto, a then-26-year-old with autism, schizophrenia and an intellectual disability, was swept up in a national spectacle when a North Miami police sniper shot his African-American caregiver in the leg as the man lay prone in an intersection. All the while, Rios played with a toy truck. “They are raised chairs; almost like on a pedestal in the middle of the community room. When a person is restrained, they would put them in the restraint chair while all the residents watch,” Dietz added. The report describes them as “low-back chairs with restraints that appeared to be constructed ‘in-house’ with bolts in the legs and eyelets in the arms used for restraint. The chairs lacked proper head and neck support, arm padding, and sound engineering.” Because there were no group homes near his family in Miami capable of handling his very challenging behavior, Rios was bused to Mount Dora. He has since been relocated. “While APD’s administrative complaints could not be resolved fast enough due to subsequent findings of abuse and neglect for Carlton Palms’ residents, there were and are few options for individuals that require the kind of intensive and focused behavioral interventions as the residents at Carlton Palms,” the report said. “When options are lacking, tolerance becomes an acceptable or necessary trait.” In a response to Disability Rights’ investigation, APD didn’t dispute the group’s findings. Spokeswoman Melanie Etters told the Miami Herald on Tuesday that the agency hopes to shut down the 100-plus-person complex by March 2019 and that to date “44 people have transitioned into new community group homes.” There were two attempts by the Legislature to eliminate funding for the facility, which would have ultimately resulted in shutting it down. But the language that would have accomplished that mysteriously vanished from the two bills, according to Tony DePalma of Disability Rights Florida. Because Carlton Palms is the only center of its kind in the state, shutting it down would have dire consequences for the residents, many of whom are incapable of living in a less-supervised setting. As of yet, APD has been unable to develop suitable alternatives. In an email, Brian Burgess, a spokesman for Carlton Palms, said “our team is grieving over Buddy's passing.” “We are cooperating fully with state officials so that we can continue to take steps to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future,” Burgess said. Meanwhile, Lamson, who in his obituary was described to have loved Swiss cake rolls, Pop-Tarts, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, was to be cremated in Leesburg. His family called him “Buddy.” Miami Herald staff writer Carol Marbin Miller contributed to this report. Monique O. Madan: 305-376-2108, @MoniqueOMadan Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article204051614.html#storylink=cpy |
| 100 years ago in Spokane: Boarding school boys stage revolt, walkout UPDATED: Fri., March 9, 2018, 2:05 p.m. Nearly the entire student body of the James Lyon Boarding School for Boys staged a walkout in protest of poor food and harsh discipline. (Spokesman-Review archives) By Jim Kershner [email protected] Twitter Facebook Email Reddit SMS Nearly the entire student body of the James Lyon Boarding School for Boys in Spokane staged a mutiny and walked out. Of the 19 boys at the school, 17 walked out and said they would not return. Professor Lyon’s assistant, professor Frank Peteler, said that “trouble had been brewing the last several months as the result of unsatisfactory treatment and poor food.” The walkout occurred while Lyon had gone on an errand downtown. Many of the boys were now with their parents, and others were at a local hotel awaiting their parents. Some of the boys were from as far away as Alberta and Montana. An angry Lyon charged that Peteler had induced the boys to leave and was hoping to start a school of his own. Peteler denied this. He said that the boys’ parents took most of the boys out because of the conditions. He said that Lyon acted “in an autocratic manner and has abused the boys.” Peteler said that one boy had a scar on his face after being struck by Lyon. He also said the food was so bad that the boys had engaged in “a number of food strikes.” Lyon denied having had trouble with the boys or using corporal punishment. He added that “correctional work is always necessary with boys and they have been punished by being kept in and by being given extra tasks to do.” Lyon threatened to charge Peteler with kidnapping. Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/mar/09/100-years-ago-in-spokane-boarding-school-boys-stag/#_=_ |
| Kansas missionaries get prison for abusing adopted children By The Associated Press March 9, 2018 2:55 pm03/09/2018 02:55pm WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas missionary couple has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for giving brutal, religion-inspired beatings to two of the three children they adopted from Peru. James and Paige Nachtigal, of North Newton, were sentenced Thursday for several child abuse counts. They entered Alford pleas to the charges in August in which they acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence for convictions but admitted no guilt. The Nachitgals were arrested in February 2016 after an 11-year-old boy was found walking barefoot in a field and told authorities he feared returning home because he hadn’t done his homework and that was a sin. The boy’s 11-year-old sister was found with a broken leg. The couple had adopted the children from an area of Peru where they worked as missionaries. North Newton Police Chief Randy Jordan wiped back tears as he described what he saw when he was called to the Nachtigal’s home and the injuries to the boy, KSNW reported. “They did find there was a healing broken bone in his arm, and when he said he got hit it hurt, he got hit hard,” Jordan said. The police chief previously said the Department for Children and Families received around a dozen reports from people concerned about the couple’s treatment of their adoptive children — some coming as early as 2014 — but none were forwarded to his department for investigation. The eldest of the adopted children escaped the brunt of the abuse and read a prepared statement during the sentencing in which she described the younger children being beaten with a cane and a wooden spoon. The girl, now 17, also said her adopted siblings were deprived of food and even a real bed. Jim and Paige Nachtigal, who will begin their sentences next week, both spoke during the hearing. “I had no idea of the difficulties and behaviors I would have to deal with,” said Paige Nachtigal. Jim Nachtigal was fired from his job as CEO of the Kansas Christian Home, an elderly care facility, after charges were filed. Harvey County Attorney David Yoder told The Wichita Eagle after the hearing that the boy was adopted by his foster family and that the older girl is doing well in high school. He said the younger girl is “severely traumatized” and in a group home. “Her recovery is going to take a lot longer,” Yoder said. Source: https://wtop.com/parenting/2018/03/kansas-missionaries-get-prison-for-abusing-adopted-children/ |
| Australian government-run home exposed as 'paedophile's paradise' By Liz Little • 60 Minutes Digital Producer 10:05am Mar 11, 2018 An appalling child abuse scandal is set to be blown wide open tonight on 60 Minutes, as reporter Ross Coulthart uncovers horrific crimes allegedly committed decades ago against defenceless boys in NSW Government-run homes. Following a four-month investigation, Coulthart sits down with three victims of abuse who are confronting the terrors of their childhood for the first time. It has taken forty years for these boys, now men, to come forward with their accounts of the shocking physical and sexual abuse they say they suffered at Daruk Boys’ Home. Watch 'Home of Horror' tonight on 60 Minutes on Channel 9. Daruk Boys' Home was established as a training school for boys. (60 Minutes)Three victims of alleged abuse have come forward with accounts of the Daruk Boys' Home. (60 Minutes) Situated in north-west Sydney, Daruk Boys’ Home or Daruk Training School was established as a government training school teaching young offenders new skills. Daruk boasted a corrective military-style discipline, and thousands of boys – some as young as 12 – were sent there with the hope of gaining an education and the skills needed to improve their livelihoods. However, once inside the gates of Daruk, these troubled teens were preyed upon by those responsible for their care, subject to abuse that included verbal intimidation, sexual assault and an illegally performed botched circumcision. Alleged abuse at the Daruk Boys' Home ranged from verbal intimidation to sexual assualt. (60 Minutes)Three victims of alleged abuse have come forward with accounts of the Daruk Boys' Home. (60 Minutes) Related Articles Sole Australian survivor of the Waco siege believes dead cult leader will return as Jesus Christ University hazing rituals are anything but harmless fun The Aussie surfers taking on the world's biggest waves The victims tell Coulthart they each complained directly to the superintendent in charge of their care. Yet he allegedly treated their complaints with contempt and punished them for coming forward. Their punishment would be a dreaded isolation cell nick-named ‘The Boob’, where the children would sometimes get “stripped and bashed” before being locked inside for days at a time. As Coulthart reveals, these horrific crimes remained secret for decades. An isolation cell at Daruk Boys' Home was nicknamed 'The Boob'. (60 Minutes)Three victims of alleged abuse have come forward with accounts of the Daruk Boys' Home. (60 Minutes) The superintendent vaulted into a federal seat on the back of his job in welfare and was in federal politics for nearly a decade. He also received an Order of Australia Medal for his services to politics and education. The victims of Daruk Boys’ Home share their haunting tales tonight to not only expose the abuse suffered in institutions by young men, but to finally seek justice from their alleged abusers and the man they accuse of letting that abuse take place. Ross Coulthart uncovers horrific crimes allegedly committed decades ago at the Daruk Boys' Home. (60 Minutes) 'Home of Horror' airs tonight on 60 Minutes. For more on 60 Minutes, head to: https://www.9now.com.au/60-minutes/2018/extras If you have any information on Daruk Boys’ Home, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. If this story has raised issues for you, there are people who care and are ready to listen. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au. Source: https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/03/11/10/05/australian-government-run-home-exposed-as-paedophile-paradise |
| Former Our Home employee pleads guilty to sexual contact HURON — A former group home employee pleaded guilty on Tuesday, to having sexual contact with at least one of the teens in her care. KELO-Land news reported that 27-year-old Lena Parker pled guilty to one count of sexual contact with a child. She could face up to 15 years in prison when she is sentenced. Parker worked at Our Home, Inc., an organization that helps troubled youth. She was fired in March of 2017, not long after court papers say a 15-year-old client told an investigator that Parker had been giving him inappropriate notes and allowed him to touch her breast. Tuesday, nearly one year after she was dismissed, Parker entered a guilty plea. As part of the agreement, she will not face any additional charges for incidents that happened at Our Home. A complaint was filed on Thursday, and Parker entered a guilty plea Tuesday. The Division of Criminal Investigation interviewed the victim more than a year ago, and an investigator spoke with Parker in June of last year. Source: https://plainsman.com/article/former-our-home-employee-pleads-guilty-to-sexual-contact |
| Caregiver sexually assaulted resident at Little Canada group home, charges say Female staffer became suspicious of colleague. By Chao Xiong Star Tribune March 15, 2018 — 12:45pm Text size share tweet email Print more Share on:Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Share on Pinterest Copy shortlink: Purchase: Order Reprint A caregiver at a group home in Little Canada sexually assaulted a vulnerable resident, according to charges filed Wednesday. Peter D. Hackman, 27, of St. Paul, was charged in Ramsey County District Court with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The group home resident, who is in her late 20s, has mental and physical disabilities and is nonverbal. Hackman had contact with her when he worked the midnight shift. According to the criminal complaint: A female staffer at the group home first became suspicious of Hackman between Feb. 19 and 21, when she saw him enter the resident's room about 7 a.m., close the door and remain inside the room for about 45 minutes. "Staff reported that it is highly unusual for staff member [sic] to be in a resident's room with the door closed," the criminal complaint said. "… When confronted about this, the defendant stated that he was just trying to get [the resident] to wake up." On March 7, the same female staffer arrived for work and Hackman immediately and repeatedly volunteered that the resident, who is dependent on a wheelchair, had awakened early that day. The staffer then allegedly found the resident naked in the bathroom, which was unusual because she typically helped the resident with her morning bathroom needs. The staffer found evidence of sexual assault on the woman's body. The staffer told the investigator that only she and Hackman had contact with the resident since the previous night. A sexual assault examination at Regions Hospital in St. Paul found redness, lacerations, bruising and forensic evidence on the resident, the complaint said. Hackman spoke with an investigator on March 8 and allegedly denied the assault. He tried to kill himself the next day. Hackman was at Regions Hospital on March 12 when he agreed to speak with investigators a second time. Hackman allegedly admitted that he had assaulted the resident on March 7 and told investigators that she had tried to fight him off. Source: http://www.startribune.com/caregiver-sexually-assaulted-resident-at-little-canada-group-home-charges-say/476874503/ |
| Woman who ran illegal group home used alias to operate new locations, officials say Woman who ran illegal group home used alias to operate new locations, officials say Deputies on Tuesday arrested the former owner of an unlicensed assisted living facility who investigators suspect began to operate new homes under an alias, officials with the Travis County district attorney’s office said. File photo of Renee Segura-Livingston Renee Segura-Livingston previously operated God’s Blessings, a facility on Wildrose Drive in East Austin that officials closed in August 2015. A In 2015, first responders found 22 people kept in a 1,400-square-foot home in East Austin who were emaciated and kept in rooms with no air conditioning, court documents show. Seven people in that home were hospitalized and 15 were relocated, DA officials said. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Woman running illegal group home told clients to keep mum, police say “When the officials found the home in East Austin, Segura allegedly told the tenants not to speak to police and tore off their patient wristbands while paramedics and police tried to perform medical checks,” the DA office wrote, citing an arrest affidavit said. A Travis County jury indicted Segura this month on four counts of injury to an elderly or disabled person and two counts of theft and securing execution of a document by deception. Officials “performed checks on two Austin locations that are suspected to be new homes operated by Segura, allegedly using an alias ‘Eunice Green,’” the DA’s office statement says. Investigators believe one home is called God’s Second Chances, but DA officials declined to release the other name and addresses of those locations. Source: https://www.statesman.com/news/local/woman-who-ran-illegal-group-home-used-alias-operate-new-locations-officials-say/aDbSiWybd7DKRl4p1iICCL/ |
| Stillwater Police Investigate Abuse At Two Group Homes Posted: Mar 14, 2018 7:41 PM PDT Updated: Mar 14, 2018 7:44 PM PDT By Bonnie Campo, News 9 STILLWATER - Stillwater police are searching for two suspects wanted in connection with the abuse of multiple clients at two separate group homes. Officers said the suspects are still at large, while their alleged crimes date back to mid-January. The first case happened January 15th involving 48-year old Stacey Dionne Taylor. The hospital called on behalf of the victim. “Dispatch: Stillwater Police Department. Hospital: Hi, this is __ from the ER. I have a patient here a 31-year old female who lives in a group home that's been brought in, has wounds to her face, and like they said there's a concern of abuse.” Stillwater police said the victim, 31-year old Susan Shiply was living at one of the locations operated by Stillwater Group Homes. Investigators say Shiply could not communicate, and with limited mobility, she used her arms to move herself across the floor. Doctors found bruises on her face, neck and eyelids. Investigators report Taylor told them she was the only staff to have contact with the victim at the time of her injuries. Shiply passed away days later of unrelated causes, but officers said they soon discovered she had signs of possible strangulation. “That damage is certainty, in an autopsy examination is discoverable,” said Stillwater Police Department Captain Kyle Gibbs. Taylor claims she tripped over Shiply, accidentally kneeing her in the face, causing the injury. Officers said her statement and Shiply's severe injures don't add up. Then on the 25th, police get a report of another abuse case at a different group home on Westbrook Drive. “Dispatch: Ok, just briefly tell me what's happened. Caller: I work at Supported Community Lifestyles, we had a staff abuse one of our clients. Dispatch: Ok, and where did this occur at? Caller: At the home.” Officers said witnesses caught 19- year-old Joseph Garcia forcefully shoving multiple clients and mocking one non-verbal by making inaudible noises at him. One co-worker even sent a text to another staff member saying a fly swatter was used to hit a man while he was in the shower. Witnesses tell officers Joseph Garcia was forcefully shoving multiple clients, possibly even using a fly swatter to hit one man while he was in the shower. They say that the home did the right thing by self-reporting. However, the department worries there are many other cases throughout Stillwater that are going unreported. “As a department, that's probably our number one concern, Capt. Gibbs said. “It leaves you wondering, how much of this occurs that never comes to our attention.” Officers said in Garcia's case witnesses have video evidence showing the abuses. Both staff have been terminated from the homes according to police. If you know their whereabouts, you’re asked to call Stillwater PD. Source: http://www.newson6.com/story/37728712/stillwater-police-investigate-abuse-at-two-group-homes |
| Wichita group home put foster kids at risk of ongoing harm, suspension order says By Amy Renee Leiker [email protected] March 16, 2018 08:27 PM The state suspended a Wichita group boarding home’s license after a federal agency said it suspected the foster care children living there had been sexually and physically abused. Failures at Carla’s Youth Residential Center, 1065 N. Topeka, created a situation that put children “at risk of on-going physical and emotional harm,” according to an emergency suspension order issued to the home on Nov. 20. Federal officials “have reason to believe that the residents ... are not in a safe living environment and have been the victims of sexual and physical abuse,” it says. The order did not give details about the exact nature of the suspected abuse or when it might have occurred. But it does say that the Kansas Department for Children and Families licensing division started investigating the home on Nov. 17 after receiving a report of “potential inappropriate contact of a sexual nature” between residents that staff may have known about. The order also says the home’s executive director and her facilities are the subject of an ongoing federal investigation and investigations by two state agencies. Carla’s Youth Residential Center, in response, has asked for a Sedgwick County judge to review the suspension decision. In a petition filed in state court last month, the home said it operates “in a good and proper manner that does not endanger children” and its license suspension was based on “opinion accusation” rather than facts. “At the time of the Emergency Order no children were at risk in any way” at the facility, the petition says. The home’s executive director, Carla Hobbs, said Thursday that she needed to consult with her attorney before speaking with The Eagle about the matter. An attorney for the boarding home, Eric Strickler, did not return a voicemail message. Carla’s Youth Residential Center received its group boarding home license in 2009. It housed teenage girls, ages 13 to 17, according to a list of residential placement providers posted on DCF’s website. Up to 10 lived there at a time. The home’s license was last renewed in March of 2015, according to the emergency suspension order. All of the girls living there were removed on Nov. 17, Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel said. They have since been placed at other group homes, in foster care homes or were reintegrated into their own homes, she said. Currently, 27 group boarding homes and 34 residential facilities for youth are licensed to operate in Kansas. In those, a total of 843 beds — 685 in residential facilities and 158 in group homes — are available for children in foster care. In addition to the group boarding home at 1065 N. Topeka, Hobbs ran two housing programs designed to prepare older teenage girls and young women to live on their own, according to the provider list. One is located at 3401 W. 13th St. N. and the other is at 901 N. Market. There were a total of 18 beds at those buildings. Those homes were not mentioned in the suspension order. The suspension order and an amended suspension order, obtained through a DCF records request, give a time line of events leading up to the girls’ removal from Carla’s Youth Residential Center. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General denied the Eagle’s request for records, saying it could interfere with an ongoing investigation. The events noted in the orders are: ▪ In October, the Kansas Department of Labor’s division of worker’s compensation fraud and abuse unit contacted DCF to tell the agency about penalties against Carla’s Youth Residential Center and another of Hobbs’ facilities. The penalties include $25,000 owed in a 2015 case, $52,250 in penalties owed to the division and $2,019.10 in restitution owed to Via Christi Hospital. The labor department asked whether Hobbs received any state money from or through DCF for services provided to children “and advised she could be shut down at any time.” The division also told DCF that Hobbs had “improperly registered a new business,” Cassiel Children’s Services, at the same address as the group boarding home. ▪ On Nov. 13, 2017, DCF’s licensing division received a complaint and began investigating Carla’s Youth Residential Center over “concerns of lack of supervision, prohibited punishment and lack of caregiver qualifications.” That investigation was ongoing when the amended emergency suspension order was filed Jan. 19. ▪ Four days later — on Nov. 17, 2017 — a special agent with the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General told DCF that, based on an ongoing federal investigation into Hobbs and her facilities “it is my belief that probable cause exists to show that Ms. Hobbs is not performing the services required of a Youth Residential Care Center.” That agent also noted that residents of Hobbs’ facilities were not believed to be in a safe living environment and were suspected victims of physical and sexual abuse. ▪ On Dec. 18, 2017, DCF substantiated a complaint against Carla’s Youth Residential Center for “lack of supervision of children in care.” ▪ On Dec. 21, DCF substantiated another complaint against the facility for “lack of supervision, inappropriate sexual contact with staff knowledge, and other regulatory violations with health assessments and stair handrails.” Meier-Hummel, the DCF secretary, said she could not give additional specifics about the allegations because of the ongoing investigations. But, she said, DCF has been in contact with the federal inspector general’s office “from the moment they got involved.” “We’d been given assurance that no children’s safety was at risk until the date in which we moved everyone (out),” Meier-Hummel said. There had been concerns about the home called into DCF “on a number of occasions” in the past, she said. But, she said, reports like that aren’t unusual for facilities housing high-needs and foster care children. She would not give details about what those concerns were, saying: “If the end result is a criminal investigation all of that ... is likely to come out as a part of that investigation.” Asked whether she expected an criminal investigation in this case, Meier-Hummel said: “I think there is the potential. I don’t know that we know that for sure at this point in time.” “I would say that just in general, it (the facility) was not deemed to be a safe living environment and that there was concern about, again, serious abuse or failure to protect and potential emotional harm,” Meier-Hummel said. “We have lots of very dedicated providers and foster care providers who provide exceptional care, so it’s certainly concerning any time we have a group home where there’s concerns,” she said. “And we take that very serious both on the child welfare side as well as on our investigative side.” Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article205636544.html#storylink=cpy |
| ACS still sending ailing foster kids to shady psychiatric hospital in Virginia ACS still sending ailing foster kids to shady psychiatric clinic BY Reuven Blau NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, March 17, 2018, 9:51 PM facebook Tweet email The city’s Administration for Children’s Services just signed a new $4.1 million no-bid contract with Universal Health Services. The service's Virginia facility is allegedly known for holding patients longer than needed in order to collect more money. (Jefferson Siegel/for New York Daily News) BY Reuven Blau NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, March 17, 2018, 9:51 PM City foster children with serious medical needs will continue to be sent to a controversial for-profit psychiatric hospital in Virginia that’s under federal investigation for allegedly holding patients longer than necessary to collect more money. The city’s Administration for Children’s Services signed a new $4.1 million no-bid contract with Universal Health Services earlier this month. An ACS spokesman went to lengths to defend the deal. “A court ordered that these children continue to get care at this hospital, and ACS and the children’s lawyers agree that this is where the best care can be provided,” said spokesman Eric Ferrero, noting fewer than 10 kids are at the site. ACS commissioner blasts Cuomo for capping child welfare funds Part of the country’s largest chain of psychiatric hospitals, the company has come under fire for keeping patients longer than medically required in order to cash in, according to a series of BuzzFeed reports. The group’s billing practices are being probed by the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense, the site reported in May 2017. The city appears to have first contracted with Universal Health Services in November 2016. It is unclear why the contract was never put out to bid. Health and Human Services officials have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. They contend patients at their facilities receive top-notch care. Cuomo’s proposed budget hurts kids by slashing ACS funds The firm is no stranger to the city’s bean counters. The city pension funds own more than $25 million in the company’s stock. In that capacity, city Controller Scott Stringer, who monitors the city’s finances, has urged the firm to revamp its shareholders voting method. Currently, the firm’s CEO and chairman, Alan Miller, has more than 80% of voting power even though he owns less than 15% of its total shares. Still, Stringer’s office approved the new no-bid contract for several reasons. For one, the contract was listed as Cumberland Hospital Partners LLC, a subsidiary of the larger Universal Health Services, said controller spokesman Tyrone Stevens. Additionally, the Department of Investigation reviewed the firm and concluded it was “clean,” he added, noting a judge ordered three children be sent to the facility. Stevens also pointed out that under the City Charter, the controller can only reject a contract if there’s evidence of possible corruption in the contracting process or on the part of the vendor, a debarred contractor, insufficient money to pay for the deal, or lack of approval from the mayor or Law Department. Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/acs-sending-ailing-foster-kids-shady-psychiatric-clinic-article-1.3881429 |
| Owner of Southern Minnesota Group Home Charged with Abuse of Vulnerable Adult March 19, 2018 10:52 PM The owner of a southern Minnesota group home that cares for people struggling with mental illness and chemical dependency has been charged with criminal abuse of one the home's patients. The Le Sueur County prosecutor filed three criminal abuse charges against Paula Beulke, who owns and operates Sunrise Farms in Montgomery. All three charges are misdemeanors. Advertisement In the charges, Beulke is accused of neglect of a 37-year-old vulnerable man sent to the residential facility by the state after he completed treatment for addiction and spent time in prison. RELATED: Lawmakers Review Report Critical of State Agency in Charge of Protecting Vulnerable Adults The charges don't reveal the man's identity. His mother, who also doesn't want to be named, said Monday that there is more to the allegations than just abuse. "While my son was living there in 2016, there was an ongoing affair with Paula," she said. Her son claims the sexual encounters happened in the group home as well as at Beulke's home. In court documents, Beulke has denied the allegations. "I would never cross professional boundaries," she said, according to the documents. When employees of the home discovered contraband in the patient's room, which was a violation of his probation, he was sent back to jail. According to the charges, the relationship continued. Investigators said they gathered "voluminous" amounts of Facebook and text messages in which the two "profess love for one another." The charges cite nude photo's allegedly sent by Beulke and 400 phone calls traced to her, along with a reminder from Beulke to him to "delete everything." RELATED: Investigation Shows Maltreatment of Vulnerable Adults at Residence Facility The Department of Human Services, along with Le Sueur County authorities, were notified about the allegations in October 2017. By then a year had passed and investigators said they "couldn't substantiate sexual abuse, but that neglect had occured." The three criminal abuse charges are misdemeanors. If convicted, Beulke would face three years in prison. However, the patient's mother has urged prosecutors to add charges to include sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult. "She had the authority over him, it really shouldn't be a question about whether he was capable or not," the man's mother said. "She had all the power. We need to be able to trust the places people go to get help. Those people should be held responsible." Beulke will appear in court next month. Source: http://kstp.com/news/paula-beulke-owner-sunrise-farms-group-home-charged-criminal-abuse-vulnerable-adult-patient/4832306/ |
| Review-Journal investigation spurs call for mental health reform Nevada health officials are examining how the state could license consultants who transfer mentally ill people to unregulated group homes, a step prompted by a Las Vegas Review-Journal investigation that highlighted the death of a suicidal woman after she was placed in an unsupervised residence. By Ramona Giwargis / Las Vegas Review-Journal March 19, 2018 - 5:20 pm U “This story has been really motivating for people,” said Julie Kotchevar, deputy director at the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s certainly been motivating for me to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” At a legislative meeting Monday, Kotchevar presented lawmakers with an idea: Broaden the state statute that governs “referral agencies” to require anyone doing that type of work to obtain a license. Currently, state law requires a license only for businesses that refer patients to “residential facilities for groups.” That definition — “residential facilities for groups” — excludes hundreds of other group homes, including community-based homes for severely mentally ill people and unregulated “independent living” homes for other vulnerable residents. The issue came to light after Henderson-based consultant Eileen Lee — who has no license and no medical training or experience — transferred numerous mentally ill patients from local hospitals to unregulated and unlicensed group homes. Last month, she placed 33-year-old Rayshuana Roy, a bipolar, suicidal woman, into an unregulated group home. Roy was found dead a day later. But Lee did nothing illegal. Kotchevar said broadening the definition of “referral agency” in the statute would require people such as Lee to obtain a license to transfer patients to all facilities. “It’s to protect everyone,” she said. “The hospitals would then know they need to contract with someone who had that license. And then, just like any other licensed or regulated profession, if that person does something that does harm to another or malpractice, they can be held responsible for it.” Robin Reedy, executive director of Nevada’s National Alliance on Mental Illness, said people with no mental health training should not make housing decisions. “A consultant decided the severity of this person’s issue and had no medical training,” Reedy said. “Shouldn’t a psychologist or psychiatrist make the decision on whether someone goes to a support home?” The Legislative Committee on Healthcare can choose to draft a bill during the 2019 legislative session to make that change. Another change discussed by Kotchevar on Monday would require hospitals to check in with vulnerable patients like Roy after discharge, or to connect them with other services for follow-up. North Vista Hospital, which released Roy to Eileen Lee, declined to comment on the situation. State health officials also discussed efforts to crack down on illegal group homes. A recent state audit revealed 37 homes were in deplorable condition, and many of them were uncertified. Since then, 13 homes have been shut down in Southern Nevada and five have been closed in Northern Nevada. The homes are now regulated by the Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance — instead of the health department — using new checklists. Kotchevar said unlicensed group home owners are “good at hiding.” Some obtain business licenses to appear legitimate, she said, but state officials will now check those listings. Others skirt the rules by claiming they don’t administer medicine or provide supportive services that require licensure. Kotchevar wants the state to consolidate the homes into one category so they’re licensed and regulated consistently. Also Monday, lawmakers heard about a plan to provide mobile outreach services in Las Vegas for people with mental disorders. The partnership with Las Vegas-area police and fire departments stems from a $1.8 million grant through June 2019. It would allow licensed clinicians to accompany law enforcement on calls related to mental health crises. “We can’t afford not to have these services,” said Assemblyman James Oscarson, who sits on the health care committee. Contact Ramona Giwargis at [email protected] or 702-380-4538. Follow @RamonaGiwargis on Twitter. Source: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/state-turns-eye-to-unlicensed-unregulated-group-homes-for-mental-health-patients |
| Group home caregiver accused of abuse in north Phoenix John Genovese 10:43 PM, Mar 20, 2018 north phoenix | phoenix metro Share Article x A 57-year-old woman is facing charges for allegedly abusing a young man with nonverbal autism. Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A 57-year-old woman is facing charges for allegedly abusing a young man with nonverbal autism. PHOENIX - A group home caregiver is accused of yelling, smacking and ordering a housemate to beat up a 22-year-old man with nonverbal autism. Mariama Jalloh is facing felony charges for vulnerable adult abuse. According to court records, Jalloh was working at a home managed by Ray of Hope, LLC, last month when the abuse happened. A fellow caregiver reportedly witnessed and recorded video of the incident. Police said Jalloh was trying to get the victim to stop biting his wrists. "She the defendant smacked the victim with her open hand across his hand," investigators wrote in their report. "She instructed the other resident in the home who is also autistic to beat up the victim, so that resident began hitting the victim on the head with his hands," police wrote. The fellow caregiver told investigators, at one point, the 57-year-old Jalloh struck the victim 45 times with a cell-phone charging cable. While being interviewed, police said Jalloh admitted to being in the home but denied the allegations. Source: https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/north-phoenix/group-home-caregiver-accused-of-abuse-in-north-phoenix |
| Bedbugs, moldy food, skipped background checks: Feds slam Washington foster-care group homes after surprise visits | The Seattle Times Bedbugs, moldy food, skipped background checks: Feds slam Washington foster-care group homes after surprise visits Originally published March 22, 2018 at 12:01 am Updated March 22, 2018 at 8:49 am Sixteen of 20 foster-care group homes inspected in 2016 failed to conduct required background checks on scores of employees and 11 didn’t meet food-safety standards, according to the U.S. Office of Inspector General. Share story By Lewis Kamb Seattle Times staff reporter Unannounced visits to 20 foster-care group homes in Washington in 2016 revealed that every one of them failed to meet at least one state licensing requirement aimed to protect children’s health and safety, according to an audit report released Thursday by the U.S. Office of Inspector General. None of the group homes fully complied with medical-safety requirements, and nearly all of them — 18 out of the 20 facilities reviewed — failed to meet one or more environmental-, space- or equipment-safety standards, the audit found. In addition, 16 of the group homes had employees working who had failed to complete or pass required background checks; 11 didn’t meet food-safety standards; and seven facilities ran afoul of fire-safety or emergency-practices requirements. The report recommended that Washington ensure all of the state-licensed group homes address the identified problems, as well as strengthen its supervision of such foster-care facilities, including by conducting more unannounced visits and running even more background checks than are now required. “The unannounced visits and the FBI fingerprint checks are the most important (recommendations) for protecting this vulnerable population of children,” Gopa Guha, an Office of Inspector General (OIG) senior auditor, said Wednesday. Officials with Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), which oversees foster care in this state through its Children’s Administration (CA), have agreed with the audit’s findings and already have implemented some recommendations and plan to soon adopt the others, Guha said. The agency “has already proposed fixes to the issues identified in the report, including developing training for Children’s Administration and group home staff on medication management; adding facility inspections to the quarterly health and safety monitoring we are already doing; and other solutions,” Norah West, a DSHS spokeswoman, said in an email Wednesday. Among other actions, the Children’s Administration has changed its policies to ensure at least 10 percent of its routine six-month health- and safety-monitoring visits are carried out through unannounced visits. The state previously always forewarned the homes about such visits, Guha said. “Based on our experiences, we feel like the unannounced visits give us a real sense of how conditions are” at such facilities, Guha added. After recent national-media reports highlighted cases in which children died while in foster care, Congress raised concerns about the safety of such group homes, prompting the federal audits. The OIG conducted reviews to determine how four states — Washington, Massachusetts, Ohio and Oklahoma — were monitoring health- and safety-licensing requirements at 24-hour group-care facilities that serve special-needs foster kids who are unable to live in family foster homes. The OIG chose to review 20 of the 51 group care facilities in Washington that are eligible for federal funding, conducting visits from Aug. 9 to Sept. 15, 2016. The report did not specify which facilities were reviewed, but it noted findings are based on visits to group homes in Burien; Burlington; Centralia; Everett; Kent; Loon Lake, Stevens County; Marysville; Olympia; Sedro-Woolley; Spokane; Tacoma; Veradale, Spokane County; Woodinville; and Yakima. Among its findings, the audit determined some of the state-licensed care facilities failed multiple times to document when prescribed medications were being administered to children, as required. Sign up for Evening Brief Delivered weeknights, this email newsletter gives you a quick recap of the day's top stories and need-to-know news, as well as intriguing photos and topics to spark conversation as you wind down from your day. Email address The audit also revealed unsanitary and unsafe conditions at some homes, including facilities that failed to safely store gasoline, household cleaners or other toxic substances; facilities that had windows, walls or staircases in disrepair; and a home that didn’t properly dispose of a mattress and box springs that had been infested with bedbugs. Group homes also were found with expired foods or spoiled, moldy and rotten vegetables; some didn’t have accessible fire extinguishers; and some had windows that were too small or screwed shut, preventing children from escaping in the event of an emergency. Federal auditors also found 45 “instances of noncompliance” at 16 of the 20 homes that allowed employees with unsatisfactory, pending or incomplete background checks to supervise children. The audit separately identified a “vulnerability” in a state requirement that all group- care employees hired after Jan. 1, 2016, submit to FBI-fingerprint checks. Group homes aren’t comprehensively running such checks on employees who were hired before 2016, it found. “We determined that 132 of 263 current employees working at the 20 group care facilities during the week before our site visits had not had FBI fingerprint-based background checks conducted because they were hired before the requirement went into effect,” the report states. West noted that the 132 employees “had already passed Washington State Patrol and child abuse background checks.” In a letter dated Feb. 1, Connie Lambert-Eckel, the Children’s Administration’s acting assistant secretary, told the OIG’s regional office that the state accepts and agrees with all of the federal audit report’s findings and recommendations. All of the group foster-care licensees have since addressed the identified issues, Lambert-Eckel noted, and her agency soon will require fingerprint checks for all group-care staff, whether new hires or existing employees. “For those staff hired before January 1, 2016, CA will fingerprint those staff at the time of group-care facility license renewals,” she wrote. That will include the 132 employees identified who hadn’t gotten fingerprint checks, West noted. “To our knowledge, no state employees were fired or let go as a result of the audit; we cannot speak for the group homes,” West added Wednesday. “If there were actual background-check failures and the reason(s) for the failure(s) were disclosable, it would take some time to retrieve that information.” Lewis Kamb: [email protected] or (206) 464-2932. Twitter @lewiskamb Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-foster-care-group-homes-fail-to-meet-health-safety-requirements-audit-finds/ |
| Sexual abuse investigation results in arrest Finger Lakes Times 6 hrs ago Facebook Twitter Email This Photo Has Not Been Edited, Look Closer By Travelfuntu Sponsored TownNews.com Content Exchange Facebook Twitter Email Print Save VARICK — Seneca County Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested an Auburn man this week following a lengthy investigation into alleged sexual abuse. Corey A. Jones, 28, was charged Tuesday with two counts each of forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. Both are misdemeanors. More from this section Shen board to hold public forum on school safety April 19 Blog: Egg hunt update BLOG: A school bus full of books Police said last October, Jones had an inappropriate relationship and sexual contact with a 16-year-old female while he was working as her teacher. The incidents are alleged to have happened at a Varick residential treatment facility. Jones was released with an appearance ticket to Varick Town Court. Sheriff’s investigators worked with investigators from the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs to complete multiple interviews in the case. Source: http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/state/sexual-abuse-investigation-results-in-arrest/article_45af92db-c2e9-51aa-b3de-57c3101838d8.html |
| Disabled woman choked on cheeseburger and died at N.J. group home with history of abuse: lawsuit N.J. group home neglected disabled patient in choking death: suit BY Reuven Blau NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, March 23, 2018, 4:00 AM facebook Tweet email Susan Osborne died after she choked on a cheeseburger that was not cut into small pieces as medically required on May 30, 2017. (Osborne Family Handout) BY Reuven Blau NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, March 23, 2018, 4:00 AM Robert Osborne still has vivid memories of the twin phone calls he received the night of his sister’s death at a New Jersey home for the disabled. The first came completely out of the blue — a staffer told him that his sister Susan had choked on a cheeseburger and was being rushed to the hospital. Minutes later, a Bellwether Behavioral Health supervisor called back to inform him that she was dead. It was May 30, 2017. Susan was just 58 years old. “I couldn’t believe it,” Osborne, 53, recalled of the 7:30 p.m. phone call. “I really thought Susan was going to outlive us.” Susan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe developmental disabilities, required her food to be chopped into small pieces. She also needed constant reminders to eat slowly. Authorities say those things never happened on the day she died. Staffer Nijera McQueen was criminally charged with neglect in July 2017, records show. A court hearing is scheduled for next month. The Osborne family last week filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bellwether Behavioral Health in Essex County Supreme Court. Bellwether, which is owned by multi-billion dollar private equity firm Wellspring Capital, is no stranger to such allegations. Initially called Advoserv, the company changed its name after a series of reports in ProPublica highlighted serious alleged abuses. The stories detailed how Advoserv’s Carlton Palms Educational Facility in Florida “is one of a dozen residential programs nationwide where two or more children have died in separate incidents from potentially preventable causes.” In one case, a 14-year-old autistic girl died after she was tied to a bed and chair at night in June 2013. State investigators concluded that Paige Lunsford suffered a “wrongful death due to medical neglect probable.” The facility’s head nurse violated state law by failing to get Paige proper medical help, the investigators said. Other allegations of abuse in Florida centers include a patient being punched in the stomach and another kicked in the face after refusing to lie down to be put in a restraint, according to ProPublica. In Maryland, state officials removed all children from Advoserv facilities after a 15-year-old patient died while being pinned down in September 2016. In 2011, Delaware officials made a similar move and stopped sending foster children to the for-profit company. The firm operates group homes for disabled adults with medical issues in New Jersey, Florida, Virginia and Delaware. Osborne’s suit alleges that staff “negligently, recklessly, and intentionally” gave her “hazardous food that had not been chopped.” Bellwether Behavioral Health changed its name from Advoserv after a series of reports in ProPublica highlighted serious alleged abuses. (Osborne Family Handout) Staffers also lied about the food size and claimed they watched as she was eating, the suit says. “The injuries sustained by (Osborne) were preventable with adequate care and supervision,” the suit says. Personnel at the facility were not adequately trained to care for someone like Susan, according to the lawsuit. The incident that proved fatal was not the first time that Susan choked on food. What Robert Osborne did not know at the time is that it wasn’t even her second near-fatal choking incident. Susan had to be rushed to a hospital after choking on food in September 2014 and in 2015, records from the facility show. In the second incident, staff performed the Heimlich maneuver on her after a piece of a bagel got lodged in her throat, according to an internal report. But Susan’s relatives were never told about the near-death experience, her brother said. Family lawyer Daniel Woodard charged that the people running the group home saw her as a “cash cow” who would be financed by years through “government money.” “It’s strictly dollar and cents,” he said. “The last thing they want is the family to take a family member out of their care so they don’t notify them when there’s an adverse event.” A spokesman for Bellwether Behavioral Health did not return calls seeking comment. Susan spent most of her life living with her parents in Hackettstown, N.J. She loved to look out the window during car rides, play cards and open gifts or anything else with wrapping paper. When their parents became too frail, Susan’s siblings were forced to find a home that could provide round-the-clock care. She moved into the West Milford, N.J., group home for the developmentally disabled nine years ago. “We just couldn’t take care of her,” Robert Osborne said. “We thought we found a good place.” On that night last May, he rushed to get to Chilton Memorial Hospital right after he heard she was choking. But it was too late. “Her face was all red and blotchy,” Robert Osborne recalled. “The fear in her face was just horrible.” Nearly two years later, Robert Osborne still feels trapped in a spiral of guilt over his sister’s death. “I kind of feel like I let my parents down,” he said. “I feel like I’m responsible.” Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/n-group-home-neglected-disabled-patient-choking-death-suit-article-1.3890307 |
| Pittsburgh Misuses Big Data to Target Poor Children for Abuse Investigations By Richard Wexler Posted on March 28, 2018 Linda Bucklin/Shutterstock.com Share Tweet Share Share Email One massive leak of middle-class Americans’ data seems to have the whole world in an uproar. A firm known as Cambridge Analytica allegedly improperly obtained personal information given to Facebook by 50 million people. Then, according to The New York Times, “The firm, which was tied to President Trump’s 2016 campaign, used the data to target messages to voters.” The data were offered to Facebook voluntarily. Now that Facebook apparently failed to keep it secure, some Americans are exercising their right to delete their Facebook accounts. Others are exercising their right to share less information on Facebook. But if this one leak causes so much outrage — outrage that is entirely justified — can you imagine what would happen if, say, people were forced to surrender vast amounts of personal data and a big government agency could use those data to investigate them and even take away their children? Why if that ever happened the outrage would be — well, actually, it would be almost nonexistent. Because it’s already happening in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania. Instead of outrage, this forced surrender of data and its use as a tool to investigate alleged child maltreatment is being celebrated — in the local newspaper and in a magazine supposedly dedicated to exposing the harm of big government. Even the Times, which first broke the Cambridge Analytica story, celebrates the way Pittsburgh uses predictive analytics in child welfare. That celebration comes despite the fact that similar experiments failed spectacularly in Los Angeles and Illinois. None of this is really surprising. The cause of this double standard is the same as all the other double standards when it comes to child welfare, such as this one and this one: What Allegheny County is doing only targets poor people. How the algorithm works They are targeted by something called the Allegheny Family Screening Tool (AFST), a semisecret “predictive analytics” algorithm that processes vast amounts of data about a family and boils it down to a “risk score” — a single number between 1 and 20. Supposedly the higher the number the greater the risk to the child. The number is a secret, like an invisible “scarlet number” etched on a child’s forehead. Right now, a child is branded with this scarlet number if someone alleges the child is abused or neglected. The county uses the number to decide which cases need to be investigated. But the county is considering something even more Orwellian — stamping that scarlet number on every child born in the county, at birth. Such a number could haunt not only the child, but his or her children and grandchildren. Predictive analytics was brought to the county by someone I admire and respect, Marc Cherna, director of the county Department of Human Services (DHS). He has an excellent record of reducing needless foster care. But this time, he’s on the wrong track. Rather than eliminating the racial and class biases that permeate child welfare, AFST simply automates those biases, something made clear in a devastating critique by Professor Virginia Eubanks in her book, “Automating Inequality,” a portion of which was excerpted in Wired magazine — the one story that rebutted the general journalistic praise for AFST. The problems with AFST are legion: AFST doesn’t actually predict child abuse. Rather, claims of accuracy are based on its ability to predict whether, once reported as allegedly abusing or neglecting a child, a family will be reported again or whether the child is likely to be removed from her or his parents. But reporting itself is a highly subjective process. DHS itself acknowledges that decisions to call in a report alleging child abuse are rife with racial bias. Most reports don’t fit the stereotype of parents brutally beating and torturing children. Far more common are cases in which poverty itself is confused with “neglect.” So if a family is reported because of poverty and, a year later, the family is still poor, there’s a good chance the poverty will be confused with neglect again and the family will be reported again. The designers of AFST consider the existence of previous reports among the strongest supposed predictors of future danger. But the vast majority of reports — even those rated highest risk by AFST — are false. Yet once in the database, there’s almost no way out. In Pennsylvania the appeals process ranges from nearly impossible to nonexistent. The various data points that the algorithm uses to create a risk score amount to what Eubanks calls “poverty profiling.” By the county’s own admission, in many cases, probably a majority, seeking out help through public benefits raises the risk score. ‘Parenting while poor’ As Eubanks explains: “Because the model confuses parenting while poor with poor parenting, the AFST views parents who reach out to public programs as risks to their children.” And, of course, because these are public benefits, such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and Medicaid, the data are collected automatically by the county. Unlike when we “like” something on Facebook, the poor have no choice. Eubanks reports that 25 percent of the variables in AFST are direct measures of poverty. Another 25 percent measure interaction with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems themselves. This turns AFST into less prediction than self-fulfilling prophecy: Both poverty itself and seeking help to cope with poverty raise the AFST score, so more “helping” professionals — who also are mandated reporters of alleged child abuse — are in the family’s life. Both the score, and the professionals, put the family under a microscope. The microscope turns up something that normally would be seen as innocent but now is suspect. So the family is reported again, “proving” the algorithm was right. And once it is known in the community that reaching out for help increases the chances that child protective services will be in your life, people may be less likely to seek help — and problems that can lead to actual child abuse could worsen. The algorithm visits the sins of the parents, real or imagined, upon the children. Eubanks cites a family that was victimized by repeated false reports. When the child the county supposedly was “protecting” grows up, if she herself becomes the target of a child abuse report she will bear a higher scarlet number — because her own parents supposedly were neglectful. So her children will be at greater risk of enduring the enormous harm of needless foster care. About that ‘ethics review …’ Stories praising AFST repeatedly cite a so-called “ethics review” that gave AFST a seal of approval. But one of the two academicians chosen by DHS for the review not only is a faculty colleague of one of the AFST designers, but actually co-wrote papers with her. The nine-page review itself is startlingly superficial. The only references cited are papers written by either the designers of AFST or the authors of the review itself. Even with this odd choice of ethics reviewers, the review based its endorsement in part on the fact that AFST would not target children at birth, but only after a child abuse report had been made. But that may not last. Eubanks reports that the county is, at a minimum, considering introducing “‘a second predictive model … [that] would be run on a daily or weekly basis on all babies born in Allegheny County the prior day or week,’” according to a September 2017 email from [Cherna’s deputy, Erin] Dalton.” Such a model already exists — indeed it’s one of the models the designers of AFST proposed to the county in the first place. So if the county starts branding every infant with a scarlet number at birth, a number that will even affect the number assigned to their children and grandchildren, is that model inherently unethical? Cherna promises that the scarlet numbers under any such system will be used only to find the families most in need of help. He also promises that the current AFST will only be used as it is now, to decide which families to investigate, not whether to take away children. But this is a distinction without much difference. Though the investigators don’t know the exact AFST score, they know that AFST told them to investigate in the first place. And what about Cherna’s successor, and his successor’s successor? Any system that depends for success on the benevolence of a single leader with near-absolute power is too dangerous for a free society. Most of those pushing for the use of systems like AFST are nothing like Marc Cherna. On the contrary, they tend to be those most enthused about taking away more children and using algorithms to accomplish it. They are constantly pressuring child welfare systems to do just that. So what happens on the next leader’s watch when there’s a high-profile child abuse fatality, and everyone claims that the pendulum supposedly has swung too far toward keeping families together? The new DHS leader decrees that a high AFST score leads to automatic removal, the system is flooded with children who don’t need to be there, doing those children enormous harm, and the whole system is so overloaded that there is less time to find children in real danger. That’s so easy to predict even a human being can do it. Richard Wexler is executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. NCCPR’s full discussion of predictive analytics in child welfare is available here. Source: https://youthtoday.org/2018/03/pittsburgh-misuses-big-data-to-target-poor-children-for-foster-care/ |
| Lawsuit accuses former University of Utah Hospital doctor of sexually assaulting 13-year-old patient six years ago 6 6 By Tiffany Caldwell · Published: 12 hours ago Updated: 2 hours ago She was terrified as her doctor, a pediatrician at a University Hospital medical center, masturbated while he sexually assaulted her. A week later, the 13-year-old girl tried to end her life rather than see him again. Now 19 years old, the woman has filed a lawsuit in 3rd District Court against University Hospital, the University of Utah’s Madsen Health Center and the doctor. In 2011, the 13-year-old girl had been taken to the medical center for an examination, according to the lawsuit. The doctor had told her parents that a female assistant would be present for the full-body exam, but he was alone with the teenager. During the exam, he groped her and touched her inappropriately before masturbating while sexually assaulting her, “causing her extreme pain,” the lawsuit states. She wanted to leave but was afraid to try to. “[She] was terrified of [the] Defendant,” the lawsuit continues. He had also stayed in the room when the teenager undressed and put on a gown, the lawsuit states. She’d tell her parents, she told him. He told her no one would believe her. And that if she told anyone, he’d have her committed to a residential treatment center, according to the lawsuit. Afraid of how her doctor would retaliate, she didn’t tell anyone what happened. Just over a week later, her parents told her she had another appointment with the same doctor. So she tried to end her life in a school bathroom, using a pair of sewing scissors, her lawsuit states. She was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital. She survived the suicide attempt but continued to suffer “from severe mental and emotional damage,” her attorney wrote in the lawsuit. The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not name victims of sexual assault. The doctor, who also worked as a professor and a research associate at the U., parted ways with the university in April 2016, confirmed spokeswoman Suzanne Winchester. He had started at the university in February 2011. Winchester said she didn’t know why he left. Winchester said she was unable to confirm specific department titles. Within the past year, the woman told her parents about the assault and got into therapy, her attorney, G. Eric Nielson, confirmed. She also reported the assault to the police and to the hospital, he said. A Salt Lake City Police Department spokesman said Tuesday he was aware of the report but could not confirm if an investigation was underway. University of Utah police said they had not received any reports about the doctor. According to the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, his medical license is active and he has not incurred any disciplinary actions. “[The] doctor disputes each and every accusation in the complaint,” said his attorney, Mary Corporon, who declined to comment further. Source: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/30/lawsuit-accuses-former-university-of-utah-hospital-doctor-of-sexually-assaulting-13-year-old-patient-six-years-ago/ |
| Group home employee accused of rape, sexual misconduct By: Web Staff Posted: Apr 04, 2018 03:06 PM EDT Updated: Apr 04, 2018 03:30 PM AVERILL PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) - A Vanderheyden IRA employee is accused of rape and sexual misconduct. Police say Matthew Brennan, 26, of Averill Park, is accused of having sexual contact with a resident at the home. He was charged with three counts of third-degree rape, three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, and three counts of sexual misconduct. Police say the charges stem from an incident that happened in May 2017. Brennan was arraigned and remanded to Rensselaer County Jail without bail. Source: http://www.news10.com/news/local-news/group-home-employee-accused-of-rape-sexual-misconduct/1101768939 |
| SFGate Juvenile Hall officer molested inmate, Salinas police say Amy Larson, KSBW Updated 8:07 am, Wednesday, April 4, 2018 SALINAS, Calif. — A Monterey County Juvenile Hall officer is accused of sexually molesting a 15-year-old girl while she was an inmate, Salinas police said Tuesday. The victim told Juvenile Hall staff in Salinas that a 44-year-old juvenile institutions officer, Jesus Alvarez, " inappropriately touched her over a period of several days," Salinas police said. The victim came forward in March, and the Salinas Police Department took over the investigation. "A Salinas Police detective conducted several interviews with staff, other residents and watched hours of video while investigating this case," police said. Alvarez is a former longtime Greenfield Police Department officer, and he began working at Juvenile Hall in February of 2017. How crime in San Francisco compares with other US cities What are your chances of becoming a victim of violent crime or property crime in San Francisco compared to other major US cities. He was arrested Monday and booked into the Monterey County Jail on suspicion of child molestation. According to inmate records, Alvarez had been freed from custody by Tuesday afternoon. The Monterey County Juvenile Hall officer was arrested just five days after a Santa Cruz County jail guard was arrested and accused of abusing his authority to have sex with a female inmate in jail. Fired corrections officer Marco Del Real declined to enter a plea in court Monday. ALSO Stephon Clark killing prompts call to toughen rules for police shootings Reporter’s tip helps Hercules police arrest suspects who rammed into patrol car Monterey County Chief of Probation Marcia Parsons said investigators do not suspect Alvarez had more than one victim. "Salinas police interviewed several other female residents in our Juvenile Hall," she said. Police Sgt. Christopher Lane said, "No one else has come forward." During the month that passed between when the girl accused Alvarez and when he was arrested, Alvarez was re-assigned to the boys unit of Juvenile Hall, Parsons said. He was placed on paid administrative leave immediately before he was arrested at the Monterey County Probation Department. So far, Salinas police have reviewed 40 hours of surveillance videos from Juvenile Hall, Lane said. During his time fighting crime in Greenfield, Alvarez received multiple outstanding officer awards, including officer of the year. Source: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Juvenile-Hall-officer-molested-inmate-Salinas-12803866.php |
| Dependent Children Alleging Pa. DHS System Failures Gain Class Certification The ruling rejected DHS's arguments that, since the plaintiffs alleged a variety of deficiencies in the treatment they received, the claims were not cohesive enough to warrant class certification. By Max Mitchell | April 03, 2018 at 05:47 PM X Share with Email sending now... Thank you for sharing! Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided. Photo: studioportosabbia/iStockphoto.com A federal judge has granted class certification to dependent children suffering from mental disabilities who claim that the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is systematically failing them. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John Jones of the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled that the plaintiffs in S.R. v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services met the criteria to bring a class action lawsuit seeking system-wide changes at the department, which is responsible for providing mental-health care to dependent children. The ruling rejected DHS’s arguments that, since the plaintiffs alleged a variety of deficiencies in the treatment they received, the claims were not cohesive enough to warrant class certification. Jones, however, said DHS mischaracterized the plaintiffs’ case. “The complaint does not, as defendants suggest, seek review and determination of each individual class member’s placement. Rather it seeks system-wide change,” Jones said in the 22-page opinion. “Though the named plaintiffs would hopefully benefit from the systemic change implemented through injunctive relief, the complaint does not seek individualized review of each member’s current placement and needs.” According to Jones, the named plaintiffs were all diagnosed with mental health disabilities, adjudicated dependent and eligible for medical assistance through DHS. The plaintiffs include, among others, a 10-year-old who has allegedly been waiting for placement from DHS for more than three years, and an 18-year-old who “unnecessarily” spent several months in a juvenile detention center awaiting treatment from DHS. “The complaint paints a picture of the sad reality for various dependent youths in Pennsylvania,” Jones said. “Many dependent children with mental disabilities end up in large, congregate facilities for years while they wait for appropriate placement from DHS. Others end up waiting for months or years in inappropriate settings, such as psychiatric hospitals, juvenile detention facilities, and residential treatment facilities while they wait for placement.” The plaintiffs allege that DHS violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and portions of the Social Security Act that require states to make plans for “making medical assistance available” and provide treatment services for eligible people under the age of 21. The defendants contended that the plaintiffs couldn’t establish commonality, or typicality, and failed to show that the plaintiffs adequately represented the class. Most of the arguments, according to Jones, were premised on the contention that the relief the plaintiffs were seeking was too specialized, which Jones repeatedly said was not the case, since the plaintiffs were seeking an injunction. “Though we agree with defendants that, if plaintiffs are successful, they will need to propose, and the court would need to fashion, a specific injunction that gives fair notice to defendants as to what conduct will violate the order, and such constructions will be difficult, we disagree that such an injunction is impossible,” Jones said. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Shanon Levin, managing attorney at Disability Rights Pennsylvania, said in an emailed statement, “We are pleased that this case is proceeding on a classwide basis across the state so that we can pursue systemic relief to ensure that dependent youth in Pennsylvania no longer languish in institutions and have access to medically necessary mental health services in the community.” Matthew McLees of the Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel handled the case for DHS. A spokesman for the department declined to comment on pending litigation. Source: https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/2018/04/03/dependent-children-alleging-pa-dhs-system-failures-gain-class-certification/?slreturn=20180304203041 |
| Reading police say staff member attacked resident of group home The 19-year-old from West Lawn was arrested and charged with aggravated and simple assault and other counts. Written by Michael Yoder Reading, PA — A staff member of a local behavioral health agency attacked a resident at a group home in Reading last week, police said. Mikayla L. Jenkins, 19, of West Lawn was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment, strangulation and harassment. Police said that assault took place on March 30 at the home in the 500 block of South 16 1/2 Street. According to an affidavit of probable cause: TODAY'S SPONSOR: Police were dispatched about 5:15 p.m. to Reading Hospital for the report of an assault that had taken place earlier in the day in Reading. Investigators spoke with the victim and a community home leader for Supportive Concepts for Families Inc. The victim said that she approached Jenkins around 11:30 a.m. about taking her to a doctor's appointment when a verbal argument ensued. Jenkins charged at the victim, knocked her onto a couch and began choking her with both hands before another staff member was able to pull Jenkins away. The home leader told investigators that Jenkins had been employed by Supportive Concepts for about six months. Jenkins has been placed on suspension since the incident and Adult Protective Services has been contacted, the home leader said. Police then called the staff member who pulled Jenkins away from the victim. That woman told investigators that Jenkins and the victim had been in an argument about a doctor's appointment when the victim stood on the couch and raised her hand as though she were going to strike Jenkins. The victim did not strike and Jenkins lunged at her, putting her hands around the victim's neck as the victim was "fighting for her life," the staff member said. After the staff member pulled Jenkins off the victim, Jenkins said an expletive, grabbed her keys and left the group home. Numerous red marks from Jenkins' hands were visible on the victim's neck, the staff member said. Jenkins was arraigned Wednesday night before District Judge Steven M. Chieffo and released after posting $20,000 bail. Contact Michael Yoder: 610-371-5033 or [email protected]. Michael Yoder | Breaking news reporter 610-371-5033 Michael Yoder is the night breaking news reporter for the Reading Eagle. Follow Michael Source: http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/reading-police-say-staff-member-attacked-resident-of-group-home |
| Dear Editor, Letter to the Editor 4-6-18 8 hrs ago 0 Facebook Twitter Email Facebook Twitter Email Print Save Dear Editor, This law was passed several years ago to prevent the use of the law to dispose of family ties for those children who are being scrutinized by CASA and CASA Volunteers. No, CASA cannot place this child in need of care or the child who has been exposed to domestic violence in a foster home. This specific decision may be the Courts with input from CASA volunteers who have been given the right to investigate any and all records pertaining to the child in need of care whether medical records, mental health records of the parent or parents, school problems such as the fact that the child who is languishing in school work may blossom and THRIVE WITH HOME SCHOOLING because of the respect and bonds that have been formed by the wayward parent by reading, playing games, church attendance, sports participation. These are bonds that have not been developed with peer playmates, nor with CASA VOLUNTEERS. The extended family for the child in need of care also has a slot for the placement of this child in a foster home and legally exposing the child to homes for children in need of care where there occurs more lack of love than will ever be found in a home where the GRANDPARENTS have been awarded custody of the child until the child becomes age of majority. This does not force the wayward parent to lose all contact with the child in need of care such as placing the child in a group home or foster home. Vision Quest is such a group home in Pennsylvania which was located in the wilderness of Pennsylvania forcing the children to sleep in unheated tents, viewing movies that were more adult than oriented for family viewing, and forcing children to sleep in the rain and using physical force on those children in need of care who did not conform to the routine. Many of the girls were in need of GYN care that they did not receive at these group outdoor wilderness homes. Is CASA Volunteers responsible for some of these types of group homes? This youth correctional organization also had a tall ship that the child in need of care worked on and this tall ship became mired in a storm of the east coast and washed three of the youths overboard into the roiling waters of the Atlantic. These children were not rescued by the ship's crew. Was CASA responsible for partial placement of these children on this tall ship? The more the Grandparent's Rights Law is used in the Court to restore family unity for the child in need, the better placement the child in need will have and the better the opportunity for the child to become a citizen who respects the child in need and the immediate family, the parents, and the extended family and the child in need community responsibility of a citizen who is willing to go the extra mile with you also. Sincerely, Arlene F. Clayton Source: http://www.bladeempire.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-to-the-editor/article_d537572c-39b5-11e8-9c7d-67fb10bf6d17.html |
| Former foster parent pleads guilty to sexually assaulting teens in his care By DENEEN SMITH [email protected] Deneen Smith 21 hrs ago (4) Facebook Twitter Email Gary Reed Facebook Twitter Email Print Save A former foster parent pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting foster children who were in his care and now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. Gary Reed, 65, now of Manitowoc, pleaded guilty to repeated sexual assault of a child and no contest to first-degree repeated sexual assault of a child. A third case with two additional counts of child sexual assault was dropped as part of a plea deal. Reed took foster children into his home in Twin Lakes and later in Randall starting in the early 1990s. Twin Lakes Police began investigating after one of the former foster children, now a 37-year-old man, contacted a detective and said Reed had assaulted him repeatedly when he was in his care from the time he was 13 until he was 17. The victim who initially came forward told police that Reed would tell him his home was the last place he could stay, and that, if he did not do what Reed wanted, “he would end up in a halfway house or other terrible place,” according to court documents. That victim recorded a telephone conversation with Reed during which Reed admitted to “engaging in a sexual relationship” with the foster child, according to the initial criminal complaint, which was filed last November. After charges involving that victim were filed, three additional men who had been foster children in Reed’s care came forward to say they, too, had been sexually assaulted. Victims tell of assaults One of the victims, now 37, told police he was not technically a foster child, but said he was “living in a shack” with an abusive father and one of the other foster children living with Reed brought him to stay in Reed’s home. He told police he lived with Reed from about late 1996 to late 1998, and said Reed began assaulting him when he was 16. He told police “he felt he deserved this as the defendant had gotten him away from his abusive father and promised to help him get his driver’s license,” according to court documents. Another victim, now 33, told police he was sent to live in Reed’s foster home when he was 11 or 12 years old. He told police he was “very emotionally and mentally vulnerable” when he was in foster care. “He stated he was afraid he would be sent away from his family and sent even further away with boys who would be bigger and meaner and beat him up. Because of this, he did not say anything at the time about the defendant sexually assaulting him,” court documents state. County records show Reed was a licensed foster parent from 1991 to 2009. Sixty-three children or teens were placed in his care during that time. On Thursday, Twin Lakes Police Chief Adam Grosz praised the courage of the victims in coming to police. ”If it wasn’t for the bravery of the victims that came forward, along with the dedicated work of the detectives from our department and from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department,” Reed’s crimes would never have come to light, Grosz said. “Hopefully, now they can have a sense of peace knowing that this predator is going to be off the street and held responsible for his actions,” Grosz said. “I’m pleased that he accepted responsibility,” said Deputy District Attorney Angelina Gabriele, saying she was glad the victims would not have to go through the experience of testifying at trial. “It’s always good to avoid that kind of traumatic experience,” she said. In custody since November Reed lived in Manitowoc when the initial charges were filed last November. He has been in custody since, although he has at times been hospitalized due to poor health since that time. On Thursday, he told Judge Bruce Schroeder he understood the charges against him and had decided to enter a plea agreement. His attorney Jamie McClendon said Reed entered a no contest plea to the first-degree sexual assault charge, which stipulated that the victim was under 13 years old at the time of the assaults, because he was not sure that the victim’s age was correct. He pleaded guilty to the other charge. Reed faces up to 60 years in prison on one of the charges, up to 40 years on the other. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 25. Source: http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/former-foster-parent-pleads-guilty-to-sexually-assaulting-teens-in/article_d1b870bf-3fc9-5247-915b-9e2fdf39c8bb.html |
| Young woman with disabilities raped at a group home in Little Canada Police say male caregiver admitted to the assault. By Chris Serres Star Tribune April 16, 2018 — 8:48pm Roberta Opheim, the state ombudsman for mental health and developmental disabilities, said group homes need to be "far more sensitive" to the vulnerability of their residents, particularly during the overnight hours. Text size share tweet email Print more Share on:Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Share on Pinterest Copy shortlink: Purchase: Order Reprint A woman with severe intellectual and physical disabilities was sexually assaulted by a male caregiver who worked the overnight shift at a group home in Little Canada, the second such incident this year, according to state and police records. Patrick Daniel Hackman, 27, of St. Paul, admitted to police that early in the morning on March 7, he went into the woman's bedroom in the group home, rolled her onto her stomach on her bed, and then repeatedly raped her, according to a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court. A female staff member at the group home, which is operated by Northeast Residence, Inc., reported her concerns after she arrived at work to find the victim, who has quadriplegia and is nonverbal, naked in the group home's bathroom. The staff member noticed what appeared to be semen on the woman's inner thigh. Hackman initially denied assaulting the woman. The next day, however, Hackman attempted suicide and was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul; while there, he confessed to investigators that he crawled on top of the woman and penetrated her and fondled her breasts. "[Hackman] stated that during the incident, [the victim] tried fighting and resisting him by recoiling," the criminal complaint said. It remains unclear if Hackman had abused the resident previously — in large part because group home staff did not immediately report their concerns as required under Minnesota's vulnerable adult law. According to the criminal complaint, staff members first became suspicious of Hackman in mid-February, weeks before the alleged assault, after a female staff member noticed him entering the victim's room and closing the door. He would remain in the woman's room with the door closed for about 45 minutes, which staff found "highly unusual," the criminal complaint said. When confronted about the incident, Hackman said he was trying to wake the woman, according to the criminal complaint. Even later, when the female employee found what appeared to be semen on the victim's body, she did not immediately report her concerns. Instead, she cleaned it up, took a picture of the disposable wipe and threw it in the garbage, potentially destroying critical evidence. It was not until the following morning that the employee told a supervisory staff person about what she had found, according to an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. A sexual assault examination at Regions Hospital later determined that the woman had multiple injuries consistent with a sexual assault. The victim, who is 27, was not identified in the police and state reports. A spokesman for Northeast Residence, a nonprofit based in White Bear Lake that operates 25 group homes in the Twin Cities metro area, said the organization has retrained its staff on policies and procedures regarding reporting suspected maltreatment. "Northeast Residence, Inc. has a 'zero-tolerance' policy on abuse and misconduct, and remain committed to ensure our residents have a safe and protective environment every day," the spokesman said in a written statement. This marks the second time this year that a male caregiver in a state-licensed group home has been charged with sexually assaulting vulnerable women. In January, a 58-year-old caregiver, Patrick Arthur Jansen, admitted that he assaulted two female residents at a Sauk Rapids group home "to make them happy" and "enrich their lives." Police who interviewed Jansen later determined that the two women, both 20, could have been victimized "as many as 300 times," according to a state investigation. In both assault cases, the male caregivers worked the overnight shift, which is when group home residents are particularly vulnerable, according to Roberta Opheim, the state ombudsman for mental health and developmental disabilities. More than 14,000 Minnesotans live in group homes similar to the ones where the recent assaults occurred, she noted. These homes typically employ just one person during the overnight shift, and they have little way of knowing whether the worker is abusing any residents, she said. "When residents are alone and sleeping, that is by far their most vulnerable time," Opheim said. "Group homes need to be far more sensitive to this fact and schedule staffing to minimize this kind of horrific occurrence." Hackman has been charged with one felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct of a victim who is mentally impaired or physically helpless. He also has been disqualified by the Department of Human Services from direct contact with vulnerable persons receiving services from state social service agencies. Twitter: @chrisserres Source: http://www.startribune.com/young-woman-with-disabilities-raped-at-a-group-home-in-little-canada/479929423/ |
| Mom claims son chose possible death over detention center By: Stephanie Langston Posted: Apr 17, 2018 09:19 PM CDT Updated: Apr 17, 2018 09:19 PM CDT NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - Davidson county's detention center for troubled teens is facing allegations of cruel and unusual punishment. A lawsuit filed Monday against Governor Bill Haslam and the Department of Children's Services (DCS) as operators of Gateway to Independence (GTI). The suit claims that youth at the facility have been subject to cruel and unusual punishment, deprived of adequate education, mental health services and that teens have been confined in cells for excessive periods of time. The center formerly known as Woodlands Hills Development Center is known to have a troubled past. Just last week a riot that broke out at the facility that left two teachers injured and one teen temporarily on the run. Attorney Mark Downton told News 2 that there are gangs of kids who attack others on a routine basis at the facility. He says the teens have taken over the place, bashing out windows and destroying computers. Teens were forced to wash clothes in buckets for weeks when laundry machines were destroyed. Downton points to funding as a main concern. He is asking the courts to protect these children, because he believes the state won't do it "This lawsuit is out there for all of the kids, because at GTI over the last several months there has been rampant violence and destruction," said attorney Mark Downton. "It sounds as if they have taken the kids from the streets and to this facility and they have allowed the kids to turn the facility into the streets." DCS spokesman Rob Johnson said the facility houses 33 teenage boys ages 13 to 19, sent there by the courts. He says the typical teen there has several felony convictions. The main plaintiff in the lawsuit is Bryson Woods, his mom claimed her son had been beaten on at least 3 occasions inside the facility. She claims the facility is so bad that her son has attempted suicide to escape. "We were trying to get our son the mental health help that he needed and in return this is where he ends up," said Kim Woods. Kim Woods and her husband adopted Bryson and his brother when Bryson was 6-years-old. "We've fought for these boys all our life," said Woods. Woods said that shortly after bringing Bryson into their family, it became apparent he came from an extremely abusive past and would need some emotional help. Last year she said Bryson threatened her and that's how he ended up at GTI. "We didn't know what GTI was, we were told he was going to get trauma based therapy," said Woods, "because they had the best therapist, because they were from Vanderbilt, and we agreed." Woods said her son has been beaten three times by other teens since January and that he put himself in protective custody. "So these kids have a choice of either being beaten senselessly by other children in the facility or sitting in isolation, which is extremely damaging to kids," added Downton. Woods said her son was so scared he thought the only way out was to take his life. "He had a sheet around his neck hanging from his cell," said Woods. "So he chose death to be able to get out of there." Bryson survived and is getting care at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute, where he will remain until the first hearing for the lawsuit April 24. Source: http://www.wkrn.com/news/mom-claims-son-chose-possible-death-over-detention-center/1127853715 |
| Group home employee sentenced By Lindsay Alowairdi | Posted: Wed 4:35 PM, Apr 18, 2018 View Map EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU)-- A group home worker accused of placing a resident in a "choke hold" is sentenced. Wednesday in Eau Claire County court, Joshua Mielke pleaded no contest and was found guilty of amended misdemeanor charges of abuse of a patient and bail jumping. He was ordered to serve 18 months of probation, and must serve 10 days in jail or 80 hours of community service. He was also ordered to undergo anger management. The incident happened in December at the Bridge to Independence Group Home in Eau Claire. Source: http://www.weau.com/content/news/Group-home-employee-sentenced-480169643.html |
| Drug rehab facility worker charged with sexually assaulting patient Updated 4:14 AM; Posted 4:14 AM Booker Allen, who worked as a supervisor at Straight and Narrow substance abuse treatment center in Paterson, has been charged with sexually assaulting a resident patient there in 2016, authorities said. (Google Maps) By Anthony G. Attrino [email protected], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com A Newark man who worked at a drug-and-alcohol rehab program in Paterson has been charged with sexually assaulting a patient who was living at the facility and was under his supervision, authorities said Wednesday. Booker Allen Booker Allen, 55, is charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. The victim was an in-patient resident at the Straight and Narrow, a non-profit substance abuse treatment center run by the Catholic Diocese of Paterson for 64 years. The facility is located on Straight Street in Paterson. The assault occurred in April 2016 when the patient was participating in a residential treatment program, Valdes said. The prosecutor said Allen was a staff member tasked with the supervision of residents, including the victim. "It should be noted that Mr. Allen is no longer employed by Straight and Narrow," Valdes said. If convicted of all counts, Allen faces up to 23 years in prison, the prosecutor said. He was held at the Passaic County Jail pending a detention hearing. Public records show Allen received two years' probation and a $1,000 fine in October 1990 for the manufacture-distribution of heroin and cocaine in Essex County. No one at Straight and Narrow was available to comment Wednesday morning on Allen or his arrest. Source: http://www.nj.com/passaic-county/index.ssf/2018/04/man_charged_with_sexually_assaulting_patient_at_dr.html |
| Two St. Pete assisted living facilities shut down for 'deplorable' conditions By: Kimberly Kuizon, FOX 13 News Posted: Apr 19 2018 12:52PM EDT Video Posted: Apr 19 2018 05:17PM EDT Updated: Apr 19 2018 05:26PM EDT ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - St. Petersburg police found residents of two assisted living facilities in deplorable conditions. They were living without running water, electricity, and basic necessities, according to police. Thursday afternoon officers shut down the homes run by Tampa Bay Behavioral Health, on 2nd Avenue South in St. Pete. I The two group homes – one for men and one for women – housed disabled adults. Over time, police say they've responded to 60 calls there, but when one resident invited an officer inside on Thursday, that officer observed more than enough to shut the two homes down. Source: http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/two-st-pete-assisted-living-facilities-shut-down-for-deplorable-conditions |
| Lawsuit filed against MCCOYS By D.E. Smoot [email protected] D.E. Smoot 7 hrs ago Muskogee County Council of Youth Services and four people it employed while operating the county-owned juvenile detention center were named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by the estate of a teen who committed suicide while under their watch. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Estate of Billy Woods, names as co-defendants the Muskogee County Board of Commissioners, Office of Juvenile Affairs and OJA Executive Director Steven Buck. The estate seeks damages for alleged violations of rights guaranteed by state and federal constitutions and negligence. Woods, 16, was found dead in his cell the night of Dec. 15, 2016, hours after he was admitted to Muskogee County Regional Juvenile Detention Center "for a mere curfew violation." The teenager allegedly was left in a room unattended and unmonitored with a sheet he reportedly used to hang himself. Evelyn Hibbs, chairwoman of MCCOYS’ governing board, declined to comment about lawsuit, citing the fact that it involved a juvenile. Cindy Perkins, MCCOYS executive director, was unavailable for comment. Daniel E. Smolen, a lawyer representing the estate, alleges in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Oklahoma that Wood was known to be a "suicide risk." MCCOYS and its employees "did little, if anything, to alleviate" the risk, and one employee allegedly exacerbated the situation by ridiculing and belittling the troubled teen. Smolen alleges in his complaint that MCCOYS employees prepared daily notes purporting to show they had checked on Woods every 15 minutes. Surveillance video reviewed later "proves that none of these purported welfare checks actually occurred." The complaint also references the findings of an investigation conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services' Office of Client Advocacy after Woods' death. That office is charged with “investigating allegations of abuse or neglect of children in state care in residential programs." The investigation focused on whether staffers at the juvenile detention center violated the Oklahoma Children's Code prohibition of neglect and abuse. Investigators reportedly "substantiated findings for neglect" by four staffers, who allegedly waited 20 minutes before rendering aid or calling for help after Woods was discovered hanging from a handrail with the sheet around his neck, and a finding for abuse by one of the four staffers. The juvenile detention center, which is owned by Muskogee County, was operated by MCCOYS for 19 years before terminating its contract in April 2016. Its governing board determined the nonprofit was “unable to absorb the ongoing occupancy expenses with no opportunity for reimbursement ... due to the temporary closure of the facility” after Woods' death. Muskogee County commissioners awarded a contract to Eastern Oklahoma Youth Services about a year later. The 10-bed juvenile detention facility reopened late last year after OJA reinstated the license. District 1 Commissioner Ken Doke said the board has been served with the summons and complaint, but he has yet to see the complaint. Source: http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lawsuit-filed-against-mccoys/article_51f7146a-87fd-5dce-b4eb-aaf8766f17ba.html |
| Bruce Normile Center, KPD investigating juvenile's death - News - Kirksville Daily Express - Kirksville, MO - Kirksville, MO Bruce Normile Center, KPD investigating juvenile’s death By Danielle Brown Kirksville Daily Express Tuesday Posted Apr 24, 2018 at 5:32 PM Share The Bruce Normile Juvenile Justice Center and the Kirksville Police Department are each conducting investigations following the death of a juvenile resident at the facility. The Bruce Normile Juvenile Justice Center and the Kirksville Police Department are each conducting investigations following the death of a juvenile resident at the facility. A juvenile was found unresponsive in their room around 2:30 p.m. April 11 while center staff was conducting room checks. Personnel began resuscitation efforts and contacted 911. The juvenile was transported by Air Evac to the University Medical Center in Columbia, Mo. and died on April 15. Court Services Administrator Patrick Williams said the incident was a medical issue and couldn’t further expand on what happened. He said the facility is currently investigating and its investigation includes local law enforcement and agencies. The Kirksville Police Department said it’s also conducting a separate investigation of the incident. The facility’s Normile Family Center (residential facility) is licensed by the Missouri Department of Social Services and the Department of Mental Health. A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Mental Health said the department is not conducting a state investigation into the incident. They later said the juvenile center could however be working with local mental health agencies regarding “a suicide event that took place at the juvenile center.” “The Department of Mental Health is not directly involved at all in the unfortunate incident that occurred recently,” the spokesperson said. The Department of Social Services did not confirm if it was investigating. Williams said the juvenile was on the residential side of the facility and that staff members do visual checks of residents every 15 minutes. He said people who are in the residential treatment side of the facility are “typically placed by the courts” as opposed to being there voluntarily. He described it as being a “homelike atmosphere” while still being closely monitored. “It is more of a dorm or homelike atmosphere. Residents are given a room with their own individual bathroom. They are afforded a degree of privacy, while still being closely monitored,” Williams said. “It is as the name obviously implies, residential. The culture is more homelike. It’s not a secure facility in that residents...they chose to leave, they could leave.” He also said residential residents receive counseling and psychiatric services on a regular basis, depending on their circumstances, and the facility monitors their health, physical and medical needs. “Every effort is to try to reunify families and those meetings take place on a regular basis,” Williams said. “They’re surrounded with a variety of resources and professionals once they’re placed on the unit.” Williams described the detention side has being “far more restricted” and residents there have typically committed crimes. He also said the facility works to develop behavior plans of actions so they can be released. “The detention side if far more restricted,” Williams said. “It is very much like a correction facility.” The center’s website states that the residential facility “provides a safe environment of care, education, growth and success.” When asked if that mission failed, Williams said, “I can’t comment on whether something was successful or failed.” He did offer assurances to people who may have concerns about a resident’s safety following the juvenile’s death. “Residents placed in the facility receive a variety of services and are monitored very closely to make every assurance their physical and psychological needs are met,” Williams said. “That has been our practice and will continue to be our practice.” Source: http://www.kirksvilledailyexpress.com/news/20180424/bruce-normile-center-kpd-investigating-juveniles-death |
| Teen Sues Over Detention At Long Creek, Challenging Maine’s Imprisonment Of Youths By Jake Bleiberg - Bangor Daily News • 7 hours ago TweetShareGoogle+Email The Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland has struggled to handle its large population of young inmates with serious mental illness Jake Bleiberg / Maine Public A Skowhegan teen is asking the state’s top court to overturn his commitment to Maine’s youth prison in a case that claims the state corrections system is incapable of rehabilitating young people. Last October, the 16-year-old, who is called J.R. in court documents, was sentenced to incarceration at the Long Creek Youth Development Center up to the age of 18 for a series of non-violent crimes, including two charges that were dropped from felonies to misdemeanors. In a February appeal, the teen’s lawyer, Tina Heather Nadeau of Portland, asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to release J.R. and declare incarceration of young people for such minor crimes “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the Maine and U.S. constitutions. The lawyer argued in a Friday court brief that her client was sent to Long Creek because the state lacks alternatives to the prison and that the juvenile court “abused” its discretion in locking up someone who was not a threat to the public. The case is the second prominent legal challenge to the South Portland prison in recent weeks. It lands amid debate over how to improve conditions at the facility and calls for its closure, spurred by an inmate’s 2016 suicide, the revelation of Long Creek’s struggles to care for young inmates with deep mental illness and a staffing crisis there last summer. Nadeau contends that the well-publicized troubles at the prison and detention center have rendered it largely unable to help troubled young people, leaving its role as punishment. “It represents an outdated model of corrections, one that does not and cannot meet the needs of the children committed there,” she wrote, adding that in her client’s case it is “disproportionate and unusual punishment.” A 2015 state law enables defendants in juvenile cases to appeal directly to the Supreme Judicial Court. In a brief to the high court, prosecutors contest the claim that J.R.’s sentence to Long Creek shows a lack of discretion and more broadly object to the arguments that the prison’s role is punitive or unconstitutional. Discretion was shown, in the court and prosecution’s willingness to drop the felony-level aggravated criminal mischief and burglary charges against the teen down to misdemeanors, Somerset County Assistant District Attorney Carie James wrote. James said the teen was incarcerated only after months of counseling and other rehabilitative services failed. J.R. refused to meet with a social worker who came to his home and was rejected by Day One, which runs residential treatment programs, because they deemed him a flight risk, according to the prosecutor. James contends that J.R. was a threat to the public, despite lacking a previous criminal record, and the only alternative his lawyer provided was probation. A juvenile corrections officer was worried about the teen’s “substance abuse,” the court brief states. “Unfortunately, after having exhausted all available options in the community the only option remaining was commitment to” Long Creek, James wrote. Nadeau said she expects to argue the case in Bangor this June. Source: http://mainepublic.org/post/teen-sues-over-detention-long-creek-challenging-maine-s-imprisonment-youths-0 |
| Bed bugs, maggots, no paychecks at Gastonia group home By: David Sentendrey Posted: Apr 27 2018 11:21PM EDT Video Posted: Apr 27 2018 11:26PM EDT Updated: Apr 27 2018 11:41PM EDT GASTONIA, NC (FOX 46 WJZY) - A FOX 46 Charlotte viewer said she and fellow co-workers haven't been paid in nearly five weeks from their Gastonia employer. "Their reason is they do not have any funds," the employee, who wished to hide her identity, said on Friday afternoon. "That's all they're telling us." She works at Children's Advocacy Network which runs a group home for children with mental and developmental disabilities. The group home is at an undisclosed location. The employee added, bed bugs and maggots have been found in the group home. She provided FOX 46 Charlotte with a photo of what appears to be a bed bug. "They say they do not have the money for an exterminator to come out and treat the home along with the maggots that was in the ceiling a few weeks ago," she said. "That's very disgusting, they [were] falling from the ceiling." FOX 46 Charlotte obtained a letter from Children's Advocacy Network to employees that read, in part, "we are paying out more than we are taking in, and that is crippling us." It went on to say that they are "unable to issue paychecks." FOX 46 Charlotte reached out to Children's Advocacy Network for comment but did not hear back. Source: http://www.fox46charlotte.com/news/local-news/bed-bugs-maggots-no-paychecks-at-gastonia-group-home |
| Guards at juvenile detention centers organized ‘Fight Clubs’ Investigators uncovered a system of teen abuse at a Miami facility, in the latest instances of a wider problem. Roz Edward 41reads Leave a comment Rather than protecting and rehabilitating troubled youth inmates, guards at juvenile detention facilities sometimes encourage them to be dangerous thugs, used to discipline other detainees or for the guards’ amusement. A center in Miami is one of the latest examples. See Also: New York State Finally Agrees To #RaiseTheAge For Juvenile Offenders Officers at New York’s infamous Rikers Island oversaw a system of fight clubs that led to a Department of Justice investigation in 2012. And in Wisconsin, abuses at a youth facility included similar revelations in 2015. A federal grand jury indicted a guard on Monday accused of being a ringleader in what prosecutors described as a “bounty system” that resulted in the death of a detainee, the Miami Herald reported. Authorities arrested officer Antwan Johnson before announcing the indictment. Prosecutors charged him with one count each of conspiracy and violating the civil rights of Elrod Revolte, the 17-year-old detainee who died in 2015 after Johnson directed a gang of youths to attack him. Johnson was one of several officers who encouraged violence at the Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center, according to the indictment. He rewarded detainees for assaulting other juveniles to help the officers enforce obedience and respect through fear. The indicted officer gave television privileges to the youths who participated in the beating of Revolte in a day room at the facility. story continues below advertisement AD A Herald investigation uncovered a fight clubs at juvenile facilities in the state. In a series of articles, the newspaper reported numerous cases of guards ordering teens to beat up other teens, as well as cases of sexual exploitation. Civil rights organizations called for an end to what is reportedly widespread abuse of mainly African-American children in Florida’s juvenile justice system. “The NAACP demands that Florida undertake a complete and full investigation that holds everyone from the top to the bottom accountable for their failure to ensure humane treatment of our children,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP president, in a statement after news of the abuses surfaced. Black youth are disproportionately involved in the juvenile justice system, according to youth.gov. They make up 16 percent of the overall youth population, but they represent 30 percent of juvenile court referrals and 58 percent of youth admitted to state adult prison. Source: https://atlantadailyworld.com/2018/04/30/guards-at-juvenile-detention-facilities-organized-fight-clubs/ |
| Group home pays $450K to family of boy who recorded abuse By: The Associated Press Posted: May 01, 2018 09:15 PM CDT Updated: May 01, 2018 09:20 PM (Ralph White/Disability Rights Project via AP) ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A group home in upstate New York will pay $450,000 to the family of a developmentally disabled boy who used his PlayStation to record caretakers threatening his life. The boy, Ralph White, was 12 when he allegedly was physically and psychologically abused at the privately run Northeast Parent and Child Society home in Schenectady in 2014. In one of the videos he recorded for his mother, White points to his swollen right eye and says "Mom, this is what it looks like." A staff member can then be heard in the background saying "I'm gonna kill a kid and you might be the one I kill. ... You want me to f------ hurt you boy?" State investigators determined that staff members mistreated the boy, but no one was prosecuted. Ralph's case was detailed as part of a 2015 Associated Press examination that found that less than 2.5 percent of the thousands of substantiated abuse and neglect complaints against caretakers in New York group homes for the disabled, addicted and mentally ill ever result in criminal prosecutions. The family's lawsuit against the group home alleged staffers repeatedly abused Ralph and got so angry after his video aired on a local television station that they choked him with his PlayStation's electrical cord. His mother, America Lebron White, told the AP on Tuesday that the now 15-year-old boy is back at home with her but still deals with the physical and psychological injuries he suffered while at the group facility. Those incidents, she said, caused him to "shut down." "I wish he was the same as before they strangled him," she said. "He was in a catatonic state. He wouldn't speak. That's what they did to my son." She said the family will use money from the settlement to provide care for Ralph. The employees involved in the incidents were fired, according to a statement from William Gettman, the CEO of the group home's owner, Northern Rivers Family of Services. "Every child deserves to be treated with respect, compassion, and care," he said. "From the beginning, we have taken this process as an opportunity to analyze and improve our procedures and provide enhanced training where needed to fulfill our responsibility to those in our care." America Lebron White blames investigators for not aggressively pursuing the case. Investigators from the state's Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, created to investigate abuse and neglect in state-regulated institutions, substantiated allegations that the boy had been physically and psychologically abused. The agency concluded the boy had been restrained with excessive force including "elbowing and/or striking him on his face, which resulted in a swollen and/or bruised eye." The center didn't conclude the boy was throttled with the electrical cord, but did find that a staff member improperly restrained him, including putting him "in a one-person prone restraint while he had a cord around his neck." Local prosecutors twice sought a warrant in the case, but a judge declined to sign either one. In a statement, the Justice Center said it takes "every allegation of abuse or neglect seriously. The agency conducted an exhaustive investigation and substantiated the claims of abuse and neglect. The provider terminated the employees after learning the findings of our investigation." Source: http://www.wkrn.com/news/national/group-home-pays-450k-to-family-of-boy-who-recorded-abuse/1154278536 |
| Employee charged in group home assault - News - The Courier-Tribune - Asheboro, NC Employee charged in group home assault Most Popular 13 By Thomasi McDonald The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) Tuesday Posted May 1, 2018 at 11:42 AM Updated May 1, 2018 at 11:43 AM Share RALEIGH — A group home employee turned himself in to the Wake County jail Monday after state health officials charged him with assaulting a mentally disabled resident. Robert Lee Harrington, 59, of Angier has been charged with one felony count of assault on a handicapped person and one misdemeanor count of abuse and exploitation of a patient, according to an arrest warrant filed Monday afternoon at the Wake County Magistrate’s Office. Agents with the state attorney general’s Medicaid investigative division think the offense took place on July 20 at Trotter’s Bluff Group Home, an intermediate care center for the mentally disabled in Holly Springs. Harrington has been accused of striking the resident with a yellow, “wet floor” caution sign. Investigators think Harrington then forced the resident to the floor and sat on him. The resident suffered a broken nose and facial bruising, investigators reported. The arrest warrant did not indicate if Harrington was still employed by the group home at the time of his arrest. Harrington remained in custody Monday night under a $20,000 bail. A Wake magistrate also ordered Harrington to have no contact with the victim as a condition of his release from custody. Source: http://www.courier-tribune.com/news/20180501/employee-charged-in-group-home-assault |
| Suit: Oregon DHS ignored Keizer couple's abuse of foster children Lawsuit: Oregon DHS covered up, ignored Keizer couple's abuse of foster children Whitney Woodworth, Statesman Journal Published 1:34 p.m. PT May 1, 2018 | Updated 5:09 p.m. PT May 1, 2018 CLOSE An audit released by the secretary of state Jan. 31 reveals an overloaded child welfare system with a culture of bullying and intimidation. Amy Read / Statesman Journal Casey Ray Miller, 34, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing a foster child. Because of Oregon Department of Human Services' ignorance and inadequate investigations, three children were abused for years in a filthy Keizer foster home, according to a $100 million civil rights lawsuit filed in federal court. The abuse became so severe, one foster child, a 10-month-old girl, was hospitalized with fractures in all four of her limbs. Another child suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of her foster parent. The man responsible for the abuse, Casey Miller, is in prison serving a 30-year sentence for repeatedly sodomizing the girl. His wife, Melissa, was never criminally charged in the case. The couple first became foster care providers in 2011. MORE: Former Keizer man sentenced to 30 years for sexually abusing foster child The Millers, DHS and multiple child welfare case workers are listed as defendants in the lawsuit. According to attorney Steven Rizzo, the agency deliberately ignored obvious signs the couple were unfit to be foster parents. DHS spokesman Jay Remy declined to comment on the case because of the pending litigation. The Millers had no prior childcare experience when they were first recruited to be foster parents in 2011. According to the lawsuit, the agency knew both were emotionally unstable, lived in a cramped, filthy home and relied on foster care payments to meet their household expenses. The Millers rented a 900-square-foot, two-bedroom, unheated home in Keizer. During a 2013 visit, caseworkers observed the conditions of the already dirty home were worsening. Walls rotted, overladen shelved teetered, mold grew in corners and a layer of dust covered the furniture. The pervasive odor of cat urine hung in the air. Despite the dismal surroundings, the lawsuit says, caseworkers chose not to suspend or revoke the Millers' foster home certificate. The lawsuit detailed the alleged abuse of three children: 2-year-old "J.M.", 5-year-old "A.S." and 10-month-old "R.L." Within a month of arriving at the Millers' home in 2011, J.M. began to show signs of child abuse and maltreatment. The bruises and marks appeared on the toddler's face, ears, head, neck, arms, ribs, hips, legs and buttocks. Cuts covered his face, and he ate food compulsively. When responding to reports of possible abuse, caseworkers allegedly accepted Melissa's explanation that the boy was harming himself. They did not interview Casey. The pattern continued for years. Bruises also began to appear on A.S. around the same time. The girl reported signs of sexual abuse like incontinence and itching. Before her "nap time," she fell into fits of rage. The 5-year-old said she wished she were dead and begged to be reunited with her biological mother. Melissa told caseworkers the girl was hurting herself. Again, they neglected to interview Casey. In 2017, the girl disclosed that Casey had repeatedly sexually abused her. She told detectives Casey would take her into his room at "nap time," make her watch pornography with him and force her to perform oral sex on him. He would "reward" her by giving her chewing gum and pocket change. MORE: 44 children left in harm's way: Oregon's child welfare agency struggled to fix problems Casey admitted to detectives that he had sexually abused the girl for years. He was sentenced to 30-years in prison in September. At his sentencing, the girl's mother addressed Casey. "You have done things to my daughter that could never be undone," she said. "You took away her innocence." She said she felt like her concerns over her children's care were ignored by officials. Her daughter, then 11, also spoke during the sentencing. She said she was sad about the other children Casey hurt. "I also hope I will never see you again," she said. "You were supposed to take care of me ... instead, you molested me." The lawsuit claims DHS made no effort to console the girl or her family. The agency insisted it would charge the family $10,000 to access its client files and records. When the family's attorney served a tort notice to the Department of Administrative Services, "DAS, acting in concert with DHS, failed to complete the sham 'investigation' and determine legal responsibility," according to the lawsuit. When R.L. arrived at the Miller home in 2013, the 10-month-old was developing at a normal rate, standing and crawling around on furniture. But caseworkers soon observed the infant was oddly quiet and her ability to walk and crawl was impaired. The lawsuit claimed DHS "knew that R.L.'s condition deteriorated rapidly, and it knew and/or suspect that R.L. was being abused." The morning of Oct. 20, 2013, the infant was rushed to hospital with a swollen upper arm. Melissa told DHS workers she didn't know the infant was injured but might have fallen out of a playpen. An examination revealed she had seven fractures spread across all four of her limbs. They were consistent with blunt force trauma or a wrenching motion. MORE: Oregon DHS child welfare audit says staff endured 'bullying, intimidation' by agency leaders Medical providers deemed the injuries to be suspicious and notified law enforcement. During his police interview, Casey said foster care services frustrated him. The 6-feet-tall, more than 250-pound man said he yanked on the infant's arm the night before her hospitalization. He said he heard a loud pop. The infant reacted with a shocked look on her face. Casey admitted to forcing her into her sleeper by straightening her legs and grabbing her wrist on another occasion. Casey was charged with first-degree criminal mistreatment. The lawsuit claimed DHS officials worked to keep the story out of the news and attempted to link the child's injuries to brittle bone disease instead of abuse. Oregon Health & Science University personnel concluded the infant did not have brittle bone disease. DHS officials allegedly accepted Casey's "light" sentence of three years probation and no additional jail time without advising the child's parents, according to the lawsuit. In the claim, Rizzo said the three children had the right to safety and protection while in DHS care. The caseworkers involved with the Millers failed to protect the children from physical harm and sexual abuse. They overlooked the Millers mental health problems and financial instability, he said. More than once, a caseworker disregarded reports of abuse and failed to interview Casey. The plaintiffs are seeking at least $100 million in damages, including $75 million in punitive damages. They also demanded the individuals that participated in the alleged cover-up be fired. Following Casey's September sentencing, Rizzo warned the agency would be facing a civil suit. "It's just another tragedy written and directed by DHS," he said. For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at [email protected], call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth Source: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/crime/2018/05/01/lawsuit-dhs-covered-up-ignored-keizer-couples-abuse-foster-children/569017002/ |
| WREG investigates Youth Villages sexual abuse allegation | WREG.com WREG investigates Youth Villages sexual abuse allegation Posted 9:05 pm, May 3, 2018, by Zaneta Lowe, Updated at 09:31PM, May 3, 2018 Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Email LINDEN, Tenn. — WREG has uncovered a disturbing allegation regarding sexual assault of a former resident of Youth Villages by a former employee. The employee, a 20-year veteran at Youth Villages, worked there until November 2017. It was the same month the alleged victim told his story to law enforcement. The Deer Valley campus of Youth Villages is nestled inside the hills of Perry County, Tennessee. More than two and a half hours east of Memphis, it serves as a psychiatric, residential treatment center for boys ages 11 to 17. The campus is tucked away, roughly two miles off the main road. It's a natural setting designed to provide healing and stability for troubled young boys. "Mostly, a lot of anger stuff, you know, a lot of misbehavior, acting up in school, disrespect, oppositional stuff," said Brian White of some of the types of problems they dealt with. Brian White is a licensed, clinical social worker. He currently serves as the director for a group of mental health centers near Perry County. White worked at Deer Valley in the late 1990s, early 2000s. "I was a counselor, I was over the Mountaineer group, which is a group of younger kids, 12 to 14," explained White. Late last year, White says a former resident, someone who was in that group when he was a counselor at Deer Valley, reached out to him with a disturbing allegation. White said, "His call to me came out of the blue." WREG asked, "His call to you came out of the blue, when he reached out to you, what did he say?" White replied, "He said that during his, one of three placements there, and I didn`t know that he was there three different occasions. I only know the one. He said that he had been severely, sexually abused, raped on a ongoing basis by a colleague of mine." White and another social worker outlined the allegations in a letter to WREG last November at the former resident's request, just a few days after he'd filed a report with law enforcement. WREG obtained a copy of the report filed with the Perry County Sheriff's Office, dated Nov. 9, 2017. To be clear, White says he didn't provide professional services to the former resident, but instead, encouraged him to seek help with someone else, due to a potential conflict of interest. WREG asked, "What was your initial reaction in hearing that this type of alleged abuse could, could have occurred between an authority figure and a resident?" White said, "I was shocked, be honest with you. I was almost devastated." Devastated, White says, because he was there. "I was shocked that I didn`t know, I didn`t sense it was happening." In the incident report, the former resident explained to law enforcement he was "... placed at Deer Valley in 1997 and stayed there on and off until 2000." The report states he told investigators "... he was sexually molested by one of his counselors." It continues, "... sexually abused by a counselor named Francis Agunenye." According to the report, the former resident said "... this occurred almost nightly and that on one occasion another resident 'who he did not remember their name' had been a witness." The former resident told investigators "... he had tried to report what was happening to him but he was threatened by Mr. Agunenye and other counselors." "What the victim alleged that he said was that he would threaten him with, you'll never go home, you'll never get a visit, you'll never do this, you'll never do that," said White. WREG contacted Youth Villages to inquire about Agunenye, his employment and the allegations. Through a series of emailed statements, a spokesperson confirmed Agunenye was employed at Youth Villages from 1997 to Nov. 3, 2017. Online records show Agunenye had risen through the ranks at Youth Villages, eventually serving as the director of the Bartlett Campus. According to the statement, Youth Villages became aware of the allegations in November 2017 and "... immediately took action and reported the allegations to Child Protective Services ... and encouraged the young man to report the incident directly to the authorities in Perry County." A spokesperson wrote CPS "quickly" conducted a review and "There were no adverse findings against Youth Villages, and no new allegations related to the employee in question were discovered." In a followup statement, Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler said Youth Villages couldn't provide specific details related to employees or clients, but said, "However, the employee in question no longer works for Youth Villages." WREG continued to press for an on-camera interview given the nature of the allegations, Agunenye's history of promotions and his contact with children. We also wanted to ask Youth Villages if there would be any attempt to contact former residents. After repeated denials, we tried speaking with Lawler at the Youth Villages annual 5k in April. Reporter Zaneta Lowe said, "I`m Zaneta from Channel 3." Lawler asked, "Is this about the race today?" Lowe responded. "No." We wanted to be clear about why we were trying to speak with Lawler. Lowe continued, "We wanted to be honest and just see if we could get a few minutes of your time." But Lawler immediately walked away from our camera and tried to hide his face. After standing silently for the national anthem, the Youth Villages CEO disappeared into the crowd. News Channel 3 reached out to Agunenye to get his side of the story, and he directed us to his attorney, William Massey. Massey said, "Twenty years has gone by now, 20 years and these type of allegations are being made, you have to say why." Furthermore, Massey says Agunenye willingly sat for a polygraph, one conducted by a polygraphist with advanced certification in sex offender detection, and it came back showing no deception. "And he was asked by the polygrapher, did you commit any sexual offenses or try to commit any type of sexual act against any of the children, young people at Youth Villages, he said no. And the test came back that he`s telling the truth." Massey told WREG Youth Villages fired Agunenye, and given what he's learned, it's a decision he believes was unfair to an employee of 20 years. "I guess it`s just hard to understand why we reach a judgment so quickly." Massey says such allegations can be devastating, whether true or not, so he wanted to speak with WREG to share what he called the full story. "He has a wonderful family, that he loves and that he tries to protect. And he`s coming forward with this now only because he must to protect his family," said Massey. According to the incident report, "It was determined this case could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has expired." White says he understands the law fully, but worries it doesn't always protect potential victims. "I`m concerned that if this is not addressed that he may get another job working with children and more victims will be created." WREG spoke by phone to the victim when we first began investigating the allegations last year. He was of course, aware of the letter written on his behalf and reiterated the concerns. We also talked to his attorney, who spoke about how well his client had done in life, given all he'd been through. News Channel 3 also spoke with the Department of Children's Services and tried to get more details about its investigation, but a spokesperson said CPS case files are confidential. As for any deeper probe, he explained DCS can only investigate cases involving children. If an adult reports abuse that happened as a child, it would be up to law enforcement to look into the allegations. Youth Villages says families and employees are aware of its reporting procedures, including an internal, anonymous integrity hotline. If you're the victim of sexual assault call police or the Rape Crisis Center at 901- 222-4350. To report child sex abuse call the Department of Children's Services hotline at 877-237-0004. Source: http://wreg.com/2018/05/03/wreg-investigates-youth-villages-sexual-abuse-allegation/ [Special Note: HEAL suggests you notify the police and special victims' unit of law enforcement rather than waste your time with DCS.] |
| Investigation reveals serious abuses within treatment foster care system By Ed Williams, Searchlight New Mexico | May 6, 2018 Print Email Don Usner / Searchlight New Mexico Companies operate with minimal oversight from state officials, according to an investigation by Searchlight New Mexico. The 11-year-old boy’s explanation didn’t make sense. He had shown up Sept. 25, 2017, at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington — purple bruises covering his body, ligature marks on his neck, a patch of hair ripped from his head and black eyes so badly swollen he couldn’t latch his glasses behind his ears. Doctors feared he had a skull fracture. He insisted he’d tripped in his front yard while practicing soccer. His foster mother, Hope Graciano, hovered nearby, accompanied by a social worker from the private agency that six months earlier had placed the boy and his younger sister under her care. About this article This article is part of Searchlight New Mexico’s year-long journalistic investigation into child well-being in New Mexico. Read the series, Raising New Mexico, by clicking here. Learn more View recent licensing reports for the 11 behavioral health nonprofits that provide treatment foster care services to New Mexico by clicking here. A security guard later told police that when she walked past the boy, he looked up at her and whispered, “Help me.” Hospital staff called the police. It didn’t take long for police investigators to uncover what they believed was an appalling chain of abuse. Their reports laid out their allegations in vivid detail: The boy had been starved, forced to eat his own vomit, and made to exercise till his body gave out. He had been locked in his room, his doors outfitted with alarms and motion sensors. The bruises on his face had nothing to do with soccer, he later admitted; they were the result of a savage beating by Graciano with a metal piece of a bed frame — punishment for getting a math question wrong on his homework, he told police. His little sister had also suffered serious abuse, police later said. Det. Chris Blea, who led the Farmington Police Department’s four-month investigation, said he didn’t understand how La Familia-Namaste, the Albuquerque-based agency licensed by New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to place children and oversee the safety of foster homes, could possibly have missed what he believed was ongoing abuse. Jocelyn Wilson, a supervisor at La Familia-Namaste, was tasked with keeping in regular contact with the foster family. She met Graciano at the hospital that September morning, and later told police there had never been any reports against Graciano of abuse. “As Hope’s direct supervisor, I found it very hard to believe that she was oblivious to everything,” Blea said. Graciano, 53, is charged with three counts of felony child abuse and one count of felony bribery of a witness. She has denied the charges and is awaiting trial. Graciano’s attorney, Arlon Stoker, did not respond to numerous requests for comment. Neither did Jocelyn Wilson. La Familia-Namaste declined to comment. The case shines a light on the opaque world of what is known as treatment foster care, a specialized branch of care reserved for the most traumatized children in state custody and run by private nonprofit and for-profit companies – companies that operate with minimal oversight from state officials, according to an investigation by Searchlight New Mexico. In fact, the investigation revealed numerous cases of serious abuse within this system. Within the past six years: In Tucumcari, a treatment foster care company licensed a suspected pedophile as a foster father. He went on to abuse multiple children placed in his home between 2013 and 2014, according to lawsuits, and was later convicted of felony sexual assault on a minor. In Albuquerque, a 2017 lawsuit claims a girl was placed in a treatment foster home after being sexually abused by her biological family, only to be abused repeatedly by her foster father. That family was also licensed by La Familia-Namaste. In Bernalillo County, a 2012 lawsuit alleged a treatment foster father repeatedly sexually assaulted his foster daughter, who had severe intellectual disabilities. The case was settled. In each of those cases, attorneys argue the treatment foster care company missed obvious warning signs and should have known the children were in danger. Eleven treatment foster care companies currently operate in New Mexico, all of which train, vet, license and oversee their own foster families to care for children and youth in CYFD custody. In any given year, more than 900 kids cycle through these programs, with a cost of $25,000 per child, according to a 2017 Legislative Finance Committee report. Treatment foster care is meant to be a specialized program for youth with especially high behavioral health or emotional needs. But as rising numbers of children flood the foster system — 2,639 at last count, a 44 percent increase over the past five years — advocates and attorneys say youth are cycling in and out of treatment foster care at much higher rates than the companies are equipped to handle. Advertisement “I would guess probably 80 percent of the youth we see have been in treatment foster care,” said Ezra Spitzer, director of the Albuquerque foster youth advocacy nonprofit NMCAN. That’s especially true for older youth, who Spitzer says often get sent to treatment foster care for normal teenage behavior. “A lot of what we see is just creating a clinical diagnosis for being a teenager, calling it oppositional defiant disorder or something,” Spitzer said. “Even the best teenager in the world is oppositional defiant.” Once the diagnosis is made — whether for a teen who got in trouble or a young person with genuine trauma-related mental health needs – a private treatment foster care company begins the process of placing the child in one of its own foster homes. Searchlight’s investigation found that numerous oversights and lapses in safety protocols have put children in grave danger. The reporting for this story included dozens of interviews with police, attorneys, social workers, treatment foster employees and former foster children. Searchlight also requested and examined hundreds of pages of CYFD audits, police documents and public records. License first, ask questions later CYFD relies on a number of safety checks, carried out by the department and by treatment foster care companies, to screen public and private foster homes for potential risks and to prevent cases of abuse like the one in Farmington. The agency’s own rules stipulate that a treatment foster care license cannot be renewed unless those checks have been put in place. CYFD said in an email that “the licensing standards of foster and adoptive parents must be followed and any deviation from those standards will be handled accordingly within the regulations and laws.” It turns out, however, that CYFD routinely renews treatment foster licenses in the absence of required safety checks, department audits show. The task of monitoring and auditing treatment foster companies falls to the department’s Child Placement Agency unit, staffed by a single employee. “We have managed effectively even with one position,” said Rosaisela Burciaga, CYFD bureau chief of foster care and adoptions. “I don’t have any doubt that we’re doing our job.” By comparison, however, West Virginia, a state with a slightly smaller population than New Mexico, has four specialists in its treatment foster care monitoring unit. Between late 2015 and 2017, CYFD auditors found problems with home inspection reports filed by every one of the treatment foster care companies currently operating in New Mexico. Some of the more than 120 problems found were minor, such as the use of outdated forms. Many were more serious. The audits reveal a widespread pattern of failures to comply with safety protocols. During the 2015-17 period, the department identified at least 28 instances in which treatment foster care companies broke rules on checking for reports of abuse and neglect by foster families; at least 38 cases in which courts records were inadequately reviewed; and at least 91 instances in which documentation — academic records, medical records, the child’s history throughout the foster system — was either missing or incomplete. According to CYFD audits, one company, Familyworks Inc., a treatment foster care operation run by the for-profit residential youth treatment center Desert Hills in Albuquerque, racked up massive, repeated violations – 288 in total – since 2012. Among those violations were missing criminal records checks and incomplete home inspection studies. Despite those findings, CYFD has regularly renewed Familyworks’ license, noting “a commitment by staff to correct deficiencies and improve the process of managing the records.” CYFD has also renewed the license of every other treatment foster care company in New Mexico since at least 2012. “There’s no money unless they’re put in a licensed placement,” said Bette Fleishman, director of Pegasus Legal Services for Children, an Albuquerque-based nonprofit law office that advocates for children and families. “So they license them quickly and then backtrack around.” Don Usner / Searchlight New Mexico Hope Graciano’s home in Farmington, where she cared for several foster children. The scramble for a bed Little is known about the boy and his sister before they wound up in Hope Graciano’s drab, off-white house in a working-class neighborhood in east Farmington. Like all children in foster care, their personal backgrounds are closely guarded by CYFD, which to this day remains their legal guardian. People who know the boy describe him as a quiet kid who likes soccer. School records describe his younger sister as a rambunctious girl who sometimes craves extra hugs. “The children who come into the foster care system are often from low-income families with profound mental health, drug and alcohol addiction problems,” said Mike Hart, an Albuquerque attorney who has spent the past three decades taking CYFD and foster care companies to court over failures to protect children. “They are kids who have come into contact with the department repeatedly. So, by the time these children are finally taken into the system, they have experienced multiple, life-changing traumas.” What is certain is that the two children entered the system with a history of abuse, neglect and trauma. At some point before being sent to live with Graciano, caseworkers determined they needed more comprehensive, specialized care than a standard foster home could provide, and sent a referral to La Familia-Namaste. To gauge the best fit for the boy and his sister, La Familia-Namaste would have conducted a “best interest placement,” a legally-required comprehensive assessment of how a foster family’s training and skills fit with the needs of the child. It is designed to be a careful, painstaking process. But attorneys say more often than not, CYFD and private treatment foster care companies scramble to find a last-minute placement – sometimes completing assessments after putting the child in the home. “They’ll farm it out, and say, ‘We’ve got these kids, who will take them?’ ” Fleishman said. “Someone has a bed, so the kid goes there,”Fleishman said. “Whether that treatment foster care agency has the appropriate counseling for that kid is a total hit and miss… A lot of those kids end up doing worse because they’re not getting the services they need.” Placing a traumatized child with the right family is a high-stakes game. Get it right, and the child can find a healthy environment and position himself or herself for a productive future. Get it wrong, and the consequences can ripple across the child’s life. Don Usner / Searchlight New Mexico Detective Chris Blea of the Farmington Police Department. A pattern of red flags Hope Graciano was a regular at Farmington Magistrate Court, a defendant in nine debt collection cases since 2004. Her husband, Eristeo Graciano, was a co-defendant in six of those cases. While those cases wouldn’t on their own have disqualified Graciano as a foster parent, they should have set off alarms, according to Burciaga of CYFD. Evidence of financial stress is a signal, she said, that “a more robust evaluation” is required. Even more critically, Graciano had a long and documented history of abusive and violent behavior. “Anybody that looked hard enough would have seen a pattern of conduct,” Det. Blea said. “We were able to find a pattern of conduct that went back 30 years of pretty severe physical abuse.” For many years, that abuse was directed against Hope Graciano’s stepdaughter, Erika Graciano-Stohl. According to police reports, Graciano repeatedly slapped, kicked, screamed and pushed her stepdaughter into a wall. She once threw a plastic chair at the girl’s face, leaving a permanent dent in her nose. Graciano-Stohl said she often feared for her life. “One of the reasons I didn’t tell anyone she was abusing me was because she would tell me, ‘If you tell anybody, I will bury you in the backyard six feet under and nobody will ever find you or know that you are gone,’ ” she told detectives who contacted her during their investigation of the 11-year-old boy’s abuse. A 2009 report from CYFD’s Protective Services Division noted Graciano’s abusive behavior toward her stepdaughter (Graciano was not the target of that investigation). As mentioned in that report, Graciano-Stohl told investigators that as a young girl she “couldn’t even wear short-sleeve shirts” because she was so frequently covered in bruises. Six years after that report was filed, Graciano submitted her treatment foster parent application to La Familia-Namaste. Placed in a ‘SAFE’ home One of the primary tools used to screen potential foster parents is the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation, known as the SAFE home study. An in-depth, comprehensive survey, it is used by 48 states to assess the ability of foster parent applicants to care for children and catch any safety risks before a license is granted. It relies on in-depth interviews and psychological assessments of every resident in the household. It requires multiple references from close acquaintances or immediate family members, including all applicants’ adult children and stepchildren living outside the home. La Familia-Namaste and other treatment foster care companies regularly subcontract the SAFE process out to third parties. Erika Graciano-Stohl says no one spoke to her in person about her stepmother’s application. “They had given Hope some paperwork for me to fill out, but other than that I never heard from them,” Graciano-Stohl said. In filling out that paperwork, she reported a family history of alcohol and drug abuse. However, she said, she did not feel comfortable addressing the physical abuse she experienced in an informal survey. “If they had processed everything the proper way and interviewed people face-to-face instead of just on paper, I have a hundred percent feeling that she would have not gotten her license to foster,” Graciano-Stohl said. La Familia-Namaste declined to share the SAFE home study it conducted on Hope Graciano with Searchlight. But CYFD’s own audits show the company fell short on its SAFE home studies. While Graciano was employed by La Familia-Namaste, CYFD found the company often documented minimal information about its foster parent applicants and sometimes failed to complete the studies within the required deadline. During that same period, the company also failed to follow protocols for criminal background checks, abuse and neglect checks, and courts records checks. Between 2015 and 2016, CYFD investigators verified two cases of abuse in other La Familia-Namaste foster homes. Those families are no longer licensed through the company, according to audits. Yet La Familia-Namaste enjoys a unique position among New Mexico’s child-focused nonprofits, earning over $1.6 million to conduct SAFE home studies for CYFD-run foster homes across the state — the only company entrusted with that responsibility, according to CYFD contracts. In 2017, months before the 11-year-old boy and his sister ended up in Graciano’s home, CYFD awarded La Familia-Namaste a two-year license extension — an unusual move reserved for companies “with an excellent track record,” in Burciaga’s words. State custody, private oversight M has a bruise on the right side of her face today. M out in the a.m. to see a doctor about a huge bruise on hip. M comes to school with a black eye. Hope [Graciano] states that she was jumping rope … the ropes came untied and one hit her in the face. These are among some of the notes taken by Heather Beaty, a fourth-grade teacher at Animas Elementary School, who documented her suspicions of abuse of the 11-year-old boy’s little sister, M, and suspicious behavior by Graciano. (The girl’s first name was documented in the teacher’s notes. Searchlight changed her name to M – not her real initial – to protect her identity.) In her notes, which were turned over to police, Beaty describes the child’s fear of her foster mother after getting in trouble in class: She said I am going to be in so much trouble. Ms. Hope is going to be so mad … The closer we got to the doors outside, her anxiety grows … When I looked down at M she was crying … She hugged me super tight and did not want to let go. In April of last year, nearly six months before the girl’s brother arrived in the emergency room, Beaty’s notes show that school faculty met with Graciano, the two siblings, and a supervisor from La Familia-Namaste to discuss their concerns. Beaty and the school principal declined to comment, as did CYFD and La Familia-Namaste. Superintendent Eugene Schmidt said in an email that he couldn’t speak about “whether any meetings took place” due to legal requirements “and student privacy considerations.” That meeting, however, was not the first time La Familia-Namaste should have been alerted to concerns about potential abuse by Graciano. A year earlier, CYFD investigated a case in which another young girl in her care had mysterious bruising – apparent grab marks on her face. Graciano told investigators at the time the girl had fallen off the bed and hit her head on a book. CYFD ruled the case unsubstantiated, police said. But according to CYFD protocol, the Protective Services Division would have notified La Familia-Namaste of the investigation. “It’s preventable, and that’s really the heartbreak here,” said Sara Crecca, an Albuquerque attorney who has worked 17 years as a court-appointed guardian for children in CYFD custody. (She, however, does not have any specific knowledge of the Graciano case.) “Our system needs changing from every aspect, from every angle. The whole entire apple cart needs to be turned over.” But the ultimate responsibility, Crecca said, always falls to CYFD and the state caseworker assigned to ensure the child’s safety, visit the child in the treatment foster home and attend treatment meetings with the foster care company. Often, she said, those caseworkers send substitutes to those meetings or attend them by phone, leading to missed warning signs. “The department sets the bar so low,” said Crecca. “And then they keep tripping over that bar.” Comments Please, show respect and avoid name-calling. Source: http://nmpolitics.net/index/2018/05/investigation-reveals-serious-abuses-within-treatment-foster-care-system/ |
| Sununu Youth Services Center under investigation after teen allegedly abused By Breanna Edelstein | [email protected] May 9, 2018 MANCHESTER — An independent state agency responsible for overseeing the welfare of New Hampshire's youngest residents has launched an investigation into the Sununu Youth Services Center. Staff at the state-run facility in Manchester used "illegal, abusive and unnecessary restraints on a boy with a history of mental illness," according to allegations described Tuesday by the Disability Rights Center. Moira O'Neill, appointed by Gov. Chris Sununu earlier this year to keep a check on the Division of Children, Youth and Families by leading the Office of the Child Advocate, is investigating. "If accurate, the report describes a grave and unsafe situation," O'Neill said in a statement. O'Neill said a 14-year-old boy "with anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and learning disabilities" was awaiting residential treatment placement at the Sununu Youth Services Center when the alleged abuse happened. "Instead of receiving treatment, the report describes (the boy) being isolated and violently restrained," O'Neill said. The Disability Rights Center said there was no evidence that indicated the victim was being unsafe. According to reports compiled by the DRC dating back to 2010, the Sununu Youth Services Center has a history of excessive force and using restraints. Sununu — whose father the facility in question is named after — responded to Tuesday by stating "we take the allegations contained in the Disability Rights Center’s report very seriously. I have asked Attorney General Gordon MacDonald and HHS Commissioner Jeff Meyers to investigate this matter further, and have asked for regular updates as the investigation proceeds." As advocates for legal rights of people with disabilities, the DRC has referenced a federal study that found "the use of restraints is not effective in reducing the occurrence of problem behaviors." "In fact," the study says. "restraints have been noted to escalate a child's emotional state." O'Neill is additionally concerned that the Sununu Youth Services Center and DCYF officials did not report the instances in question in a timely manner. The facility is described on the state's website as a four-part program that includes regular classrooms with support, a modified regular program, a resources program and a self-contained program. Source: http://www.eagletribune.com/news/new_hampshire/sununu-youth-services-center-under-investigation-after-teen-allegedly-abused/article_ac3537d0-538d-11e8-b154-57c621e35eca.html |
| Utah man charged with child abuse for school 'fight club' JULIAN HATTEM Associated Press May 11, 2018 Facebook Twitter Email Facebook Twitter Email Print Save SALT LAKE CITY — A former employee of a Utah residential youth treatment facility was accused Friday of assaulting a 16-year-old boy as part of an unofficial “fight club” at the school. The Utah County Attorney’s Office claimed that 21-year-old Misifoa Tautofi Seui Matagi hit the teenager in December as part of a club in which students and staff at Provo Canyon School would “body” each other by throwing punches at each other’s chests. “The victim had at least two bruises from these assaults, which constitutes serious physical injury,” charging documents alleged. In a brief phone interview, Matagi said several students were “going bodies” when one teenager started punching him. Matagi said he pushed the student off, “and then he started just coming back at me.” He claims he left the room and then the student continued to throw punches with his roommates. “I got out of the room before it started getting all heated,” he said. Matagi did not say whether there was a fight club at the school. He faces one count of felony child abuse. The Provo Canyon School describes itself as a provider of mental and behavioral health treatment for children and teenagers. School administrators did not respond to a request for comment about the incident Deputy Utah County attorney Craig Johnson said Matagi should not have engaged with the students’ activity at all. “In an attempt to ingratiate himself to the students he decided to go along with this instead of putting his foot down, reporting it and redirecting their efforts,” Johnson said. He said his office wanted to “send a message” that people in Matagi’s position ought to display “a higher level of trust and responsibility.” Source: https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/central/provo/utah-man-charged-with-child-abuse-for-school-fight-club/article_68f3f497-d846-5172-88ca-dde1ef69b796.html |
| Idaho Youth Ranch in trouble and failing to help children, say former employees By Audrey Dutton [email protected] LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest Reddit Print Order Reprint of this Story May 12, 2018 06:53 PM When her husband said he wanted to work for the Idaho Youth Ranch, the Boise woman was apprehensive. It didn’t have a good reputation among nonprofits, she said. Her husband followed his heart anyway and took a job there in 2016 – getting an up-close look at what the couple and many former employees say has become a dysfunctional business and has lost touch in recent years with its mission to help at-risk children and teens. “As a community member, I had no idea they served such few kids in residential treatment, for the amount of fundraising they take from the community,” the woman told the Statesman in an interview. Her husband no longer works for the nonprofit. The couple adopted a girl in 2017 who had lived for a time in a Youth Ranch facility. Breaking News Be the first to know when big news breaks “We have spent numerous counseling sessions, missed time from work, missed time from school and yes, money, to undo the trauma caused by the unprofessional and uneducated staff at [the Youth Ranch facility],” the woman would later write to Youth Ranch administration. “In 21 days, she left worse than when she arrived.” The Statesman agreed not to use the couple’s names in order to protect their adopted daughter’s identity. Interviews and documents reviewed by the Statesman suggest that the Idaho Youth Ranch – a revered, 65-year-old organization with popular thrift stores around the state – is struggling to serve the mental health needs of local at-risk youths and their families. It has become more like a thrift-store chain than a social-service organization, critics say. But a new, temporary CEO says the organization is trying to right its course. “This mission is too important – the work we do – the need is too great for us to falter here,” said Jason Fry, the interim CEO, who formerly ran the Wood River YMCA in Ketchum. “The Youth Ranch to be taken out of the picture to help Idaho’s kids would be a tragedy for the state for hundreds of kids and families around here. … That’s at the forefront of our mind.” The Idaho Youth Ranch operated 27 retail stores and outlets around the state as of May 2018, while its residential treatment centers can treat no more than 26 children and teens. (According to state licensing records, the organization’s Hays House in Boise can take up to 20 children and teens, including runaways and homeless youth, for short-term stays. The “ranch” in Middleton is a long-term residential treatment center for up to six youths, according to state licensing records; the Youth Ranch opened it to replace its larger, more remote ranch in Rupert. The organization is putting an intense focus at the Middleton center on equine therapy, which centers on interaction with horses.) And former employees say that as the organization has faltered, it has continued to portray itself to donors and the public as providing more services to kids and their families than it actually does. In addition, these employees say they have raised concerns for years about mismanagement, understaffing and turnover, top-heavy administration, and about the safety of children in the Youth Ranch’s care. The Youth Ranch has seen high turnover among its licensed mental health providers and other therapy staff. Several employees told the Statesman that they or their co-workers were fired after speaking up about problems. One former manager estimated that 50 to 60 employees left in a year and a half’s time, including a therapy team of 12 that dwindled to two. Due to hemorrhaging those workers, the Youth Ranch has lost its ability to give adequate care to children and their families, according to people who worked there over the past decade. “Our daughter, when she discharged [about two years ago], she and her family should’ve received outpatient resources, but they can’t even keep their clinicians staffed to offer those resources,” said the Boise woman whose husband worked for the Youth Ranch. Those resources would have “helped reunify” the girl with her family, but instead she had to go into foster care, the woman said. However, even former employees with a laundry list of criticisms say the nonprofit has a valuable role to play that no other organization can replicate. They believe it should be reformed, not disbanded. And they hope changes will be made to retain workers and to reignite the organization’s ability to help Idaho’s at-risk youth and their families. Fry in charge of an overhaul Fry was hired last year to make changes to the organization, he said. His contract to do that is slated to end in about eight months. He was tasked with changing some of the Youth Ranch’s business practices to make it more sustainable, after it ran deficits the past four or five years, he said. For example, looking at where they could trim and reorganize led to the decision to close down seven stores this year, he said. He also is charged with changing the culture, getting the board more involved and hands-on, getting the community to see the Youth Ranch for its charitable mission as opposed to its thrift stores, improving its fundraising, and looking critically at how the nonprofit functions from top executives down to the single stores. Basically, Fry is in charge of an overhaul. Last month, after a group of former employees aired their concerns to the new CEO and told him the Statesman was investigating, the Youth Ranch hired two local attorneys to conduct a review of the complaints. “It seems like it’s a difficult atmosphere to work in and not as supportive an environment” as it should be, Fry told the Statesman. “We’ve already made some personnel shifts … to be able to address some of those concerns.” One personnel shift was to put a clinical director, who is the focus of several former employees’ complaints, on administrative leave. Another longtime employee was moved into the director role, overseeing two newly created management positions. The employees believe the response was motivated at least partly by the possibility of media scrutiny; a year ago, they met with another administrator to talk about their concerns, and nothing happened, they said. Fry said the organization currently employs eight therapists and has budgeted to add two equine therapists to that in fiscal year 2019. Two program managers also have been tasked with handling therapy caseloads, he said. Fry said that in the year ending June 30, the Youth Ranch will have given 945 individual therapy sessions. By the same time next year, he said, the Youth Ranch plans to have provided 6,376 individual therapy sessions, or nearly six times as much of that core mental health service. Several people who have worked for the Idaho Youth Ranch in recent years said they do not believe the organization is keeping its at-risk children safe while they’re in its care. The organization in its internal records has logged instances of sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual activity between minors who lived at the Youth Ranch’s centers. Police have been called at least once to the Youth Ranch’s new facility in Middleton to respond to a sexual assault report. “One practice I know we’re addressing immediately, because we just talked about it last week, is doubling up on staff in overnight shifts in residential programs,” Fry said, when asked about residents’ safety. “It’s been a cost control for many years, but it’s something I think we need to look at to ensure the safety of the kids, but also the safety of staff who are there. “This is a very difficult environment. These are teenagers who have traumatic experiences and backgrounds.” Where does the money go? The organization made about $23 million and spent $24 million in fiscal year 2017, according to its financial statements. So where did the money go, if not to staffing? The Youth Ranch’s thrift stores accounted for the vast majority of its income and spending in the 2017 fiscal year. The shops made a profit of about $244,000 from $17 million in sales. About 15 percent of the Youth Ranch’s total budget went to its charitable programs. The nonprofit spent $2 million on residential programs for at-risk youth, $1.4 million on “community services” and about $112,000 on workforce development. None of the people interviewed by the Statesman cited low pay as the reason for high turnover among the Youth Ranch’s clinical workers. What they did cite was understaffing. Cyd Kirkham was hired in April 2017 to work as a therapist at the Middleton ranch. “I was there for two weeks by the time the therapists at Hays House left,” she said. By January, she was the only therapist for all the programs in the Boise area, she said. She complained of being spread too thin, working 50 to 60 hours a week, and being unable to meet the needs of all the children and families who needed services. She remembers being called into work with the flu, despite having a doctor’s note. Kirkham was fired in mid-February. “All I did, basically, was paperwork and emergencies – that was all I could do,” she said. “At the ranch, it was a fight and a struggle to get [therapy] to happen at the level we were saying it was happening, but it did … for the most part.” But at Hays House, where more than a dozen children and teens could be working through crises and trauma at any given time, Kirkham said she doesn’t believe anyone was providing consistent therapy. “They ran Hays, pretty much the entire time I worked there, with one or less than one therapist that were dedicated to Hays,” she said. And for at least a month of Kirkham’s tenure, the organization was providing no therapy services to children and families outside of residential centers, she said. How many are helped? Kirkham and several other former employees say they question the truth of the Youth Ranch’s claims in its 2017 annual report that it provided a total of 4,300 hours of therapy. Jeni Williams, whose job in the past two years was to keep in touch with Youth Ranch alumni, says those numbers in some cases included instances in which a child or parent called in looking for services and was referred somewhere else for care or placed on a waiting list. (Williams also raised concerns about how the organization was being managed, and how it was using personal stories in fundraising efforts.) Fry said he stood behind the 2017 numbers. In the past three years, he said, the organization would tally every time a person received help, such as “four” if a child lived at Hays House, received individual therapy and equine therapy, and worked in the job program. Now, though, it counts only the person, regardless of the number of programs they use. Kirkham, the former therapist who for a time was the only one on staff, was baffled when she saw the numbers being reported. “We’re supposed to be offering individual therapy, especially to alumni and stuff, and that wasn’t really happening,” Kirkham said. The organization was so short-staffed with therapists that, at some points, its clinical director filled in as an on-call therapist. The director was not a licensed mental health provider in Idaho. “We have learned that under Idaho’s law, at least, there is an exemption (for private nonprofit organizations) around licensing requirements, so we believe everything that was under his purview was in compliance with state law,” Fry said. “We don’t believe he’s actually done any clinical treatment or work. … Even if he had, it appears he’d be protected under this provision of state law.” Kirkham says she “talked repeatedly about the lack of services” and management problems, but was blown off. The Youth Ranch hired another therapist and fired Kirkham on the last day of that new therapist’s training, she said. ‘It started to change’ It wasn’t always this way, according to a longtime Youth Ranch director. Jim Stockberger was an at-risk youth and shelter-care administrator for 25 years, spending the last five of those at the Youth Ranch’s former facility in Rupert. He was fired about five years ago, as the Rupert program was on its way to being shuttered and moved to Middleton. The Rupert ranch served up to 20 children at a time back then. The ranch was fully staffed when he worked there, with 20 staff members and two full-time mental health clinicians dedicated to the facility. They had a good “aftercare” program to help the youths transition back into their families and communities, with therapists seeing them weekly before and after they left the ranch, he said. “It started to change right before I was fired, and I wasn’t thrilled about the changes,” he said. “It was all financial. They wanted to start cutting some of the programs, and I didn’t want them to.” Stockberger said that losing his job at the Youth Ranch was so “devastating” that he changed careers and now works for an occupational health and safety company. Meanwhile, the Boise woman whose husband also worked for the Youth Ranch said she thinks the organization needs systemic change. “I think the biggest issue is the culture,” she said. “I think they’ve had people in leadership too long.” Audrey Dutton is a Statesman investigative reporter. Contact her at (208) 377-6448, [email protected] or @audreydutton on Twitter. Audrey Dutton: 208-377-6448, @audreydutton Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article210474644.html#storylink=cpy |
| Woman pleads guilty to sex with teen from Minnesota treatment center Counselor pleads guilty to sex with teen from Minnesota treatment center Nora G. Hertel, [email protected] Published 2:18 p.m. CT May 14, 2018 Alyson Michelle Baker(Photo: Courtesy of Benton County Jail) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE FOLEY — A former Children's Residential Treatment Center counselor admitted in court last week she had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl in Foley. Alyson Michelle Baker, 25, pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in Benton County Court Thursday. The victim was a resident at Children's Residential Treatment Center in Minneapolis through May 2017, according to court documents. The victim sent Facebook Messenger texts to counselors there, and Baker was the only one who responded. The victim lived with guardians in Foley, while her mother was hospitalized. Baker came to see the victim when the victim was visiting her mother in a Minneapolis hospital, according to the Statement of Probable Cause. "Victim A stated that she first had a romantic moment with the defendant on July 4, 2017, at the St. Cloud quarries while they were swimming," according to the document. The two then exchanged nude photos and sexual text messages. Baker visited the victim in Foley in late July and the two engaged in sexual activities. On Aug. 5, the victim's guardians reported her as a runaway. RELATED: Former counselor charged with sex crime involving 14-year-old Foley girl Baker picked up the victim in Foley and took her to Baker's home in Minneapolis where the victim stayed through Aug. 7, according to court records. The victim told police the two had sex while she was at Baker's apartment. Baker admitted to the sexual encounters in an interview with police, according to court documents. "A photograph of the defendant being in Victim A's bedroom was found on Victim A's cell phone." Baker pleaded guilty Thursday. A third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge is a felony, defined as sexual penetration with a person between the ages of 13 and 16 by someone more than two years older than the victim, according to Minnesota law. Consent of the victim cannot be used as a defense in those circumstances. The maximum sentence is 15 years and $30,000, according to the court documents. Benton County Judge Michael Jesse will sentence Baker on July 26. Source: https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2018/05/14/woman-alyson-baker-pleads-guilty-sex-teen-minnesota-treatment-center/607259002/ |
| Texas Girls’ Treatment Center Raided amid Physical, Sexual Abuse Allegations 39 AP Photo 17 May 201839 Police raided a Texas residential treatment center for girls after receiving roughly 90 complaints alleging some staff members physically and sexually abused the youths in their care, say authorities. Montgomery County officials executed a search warrant Wednesday, seizing boxes of evidence from two locations of the Care Cottage, a privately owned treatment center in Willis that offers residential services for at-risk girls ages 6-17 who are in foster care, the juvenile justice system, or come to them as private clients. The alleged abuse included choke marks on a seventh grade girl’s neck, a ninth grader who said she was hog-tied as punishment, and a 14-year-old autistic girl who suffered a broken arm after being restrained forcefully. In the latter incident, a Care Cottage employee purportedly said the girl had “an accident on the trampoline” according to the search warrant. The Houston Chronicle reported the warrant stated the injury occurred on October 10, 2017, after the girl allegedly argued with a staff member. However, it was not until weeks later, on November 2, when the child’s mother learned about the incident and the girl was taken to an orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed that her arm was broken. Another complaint alleged that a 27-year-old Care Cottage employee was having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old resident. “It’s big, we’ve had numerous allegations of sexual abuse, or sexual contact of kids by staff members,” said Tyler Dunman, chief of the Special Crimes Bureau at the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. He told KHOU: “We’ve also had even more with physical abuse by the staff members on kids.” The Care Cottage describes its mission as providing a “safe and stable environment that assist youth in thriving and achieving their greatest human potentil through quality care, integrated treatment strategies, social support, and development.” These treatment centers care for girls who often come to them from horrific circumstances including homes where they were physically and/or sexually abused. “They come from the most tragic of circumstances that you can ever imagine,” said Dunman. “They’ve probably been physically or sexually abused in the past, so it’s a tragic situation for them.” The Care Cottage also is accused of trying to cover up a sexual assault allegation against a staff member, according to KHOU. This employee purported logged the incident as an “alleged inappropriate staff relationship” to minimize the incident. Some of these youngsters repeatedly tried to escape the facility, according to the search warrant. One girl reported breaking her ankle after jumping from a second-floor window. Others refused to be picked up at school by a Care Cottage bus. Montgomery County Attorney J.D. Lambright told the Chronicle he heard from Willis Independent School District Superintendent Tim Harkrider around three weeks ago expressing concerns for the care of these girls at Care Cottage. Many of them attend schools in Willis. According to the search warrant, teachers and administrators reported several incidents where these students came to school with marks and bruises. “He was reaching out to me to see what I could do,” said Lambright. He indicated that when his office began to compile complaints, they totaled 90 different incidents. For now, the girls residing at the Care Cottage will remain in their facilities despite the allegations. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services told KHOU in a written statement: “It is crucial that we do not disrupt the lives of these children and youth unless absolutely necessary. We are in contact with law enforcement, we are in the facility regularly, and are confident it is a safe placement. If that changes we will act accordingly.” Authorities have not yet made any arrests in connection with the complaints or the raid. Follow Merrill Hope, a member of the original Breitbart Texas team, on Twitter. Source: http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2018/05/17/texas-girls-treatment-center-raided-amid-physical-sexual-abuse-allegations/#bbvb |
| Florida substance abuse center owners sentenced for fraud by Auriette Lindsey Former owners of Florida substance abuse recovery center sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $4,045,364 in restitution for health care fraud. (Image: MGN) DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The former owners of Angel's Recovery in Delray Beach are sentenced to federal prison for defrauding health care benefit programs. Tovah Jasperson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. She was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. Her father, Alan Martin Bostom, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years, after pleading guilty to knowingly and willfully falsifying and concealing a material fact in a matter involving health care benefit programs. The pair was also ordered to pay $4,045,364 in restitution. "Health care fraud victimizes the individuals involved and the community at-large," said Isabel Colon, DOL's Employee Benefits Security Administration Regional Director in Atlanta. "Fraudulently inflating healthcare bills for unnecessary or non-existent treatment passes the costs on to others wishing to obtain health insurance." Angel's Recovery is a residential treatment facility for substance abuse. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Jasperson and Bostom hired a medical director despite knowing the Florida Board of Medicine had suspended his medical license. He was allowed to examine and treat patients; prescribe controlled substances and bodily testing; and create pre-signed prescriptions, which allowed other recovery center employees to provide prescriptions for controlled substances illegally. Investigators also found that Jasperson and Bostom paid kickbacks to the owners of other recovery residences in exchange for access to patients, who would generate bills that could be charged to the patients’ insurance companies. Jasperson and Bostom also paid kickbacks to patients, who agreed to reside in the recovery center and participate in the treatment and screening sessions in exchange for free rent and insurance premiums paid on their behalf. Along with their co-conspirators, Jasperson and Bostom prepared and submitted fraudulent insurance claims attesting that the treatments were reimbursable as medically necessary. The claims failed to acknowledge that the treatments were based on kickbacks and bribes; that some patients never paid their required co-payments; and that the medical director had a suspended license, making Angel’s Recovery’s license invalid. Colon said, "The U.S. Department of Labor remains committed to ensuring that benefits are not abused, and anyone found guilty of committing fraud is held accountable." The investigation was a combined effort of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration , the FBI, the IRS, the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General, the Office of Personnel Management-Office of the Inspector General, the Florida Department of Insurance Fraud, the Martin County and Palm Beach sheriff’s departments, and other local police departments. Source: http://weartv.com/news/nation-world/florida-substance-abuse-center-owners-sentenced-for-fraud |
| Michigan Kids Dying in Foster Care; Renk’s Interview with the Reporter Who Uncovered It Renk Getty Images by: Alex Wong Share on Twitter Share on Facebook I read an article in the Lansing Sate Journal written by Justin Hinkley titled More Michigan Kids Are Dying From Abuse or Neglect a Decade After A Lawsuit Forced the State to Spend Millions of Dollars on Improvements. In that article I learned that those deaths increased despite the doubling Michigan’s child welfare budget and nearly doubling Michigan’s child welfare staff. A little background information is needed, back in 2008 Michigan settled a lawsuit for abuse and neglect of the children. When the state settled that lawsuit their was 59 deaths, when we shoot forward to 2016 Michigan reported 85 such deaths and became one of the five worst states in the nation. I called the reporter Justin Hinkley and asked him to come on air to discuss not only his original article but also the update to this issue. After Justin wrote the article I linked to above there was an annual court hearing in which the judge was updated on the progress of the recommendations. Source: http://wjimam.com/michigan-kids-dying-in-foster-care-renks-interview-with-the-reporter-who-uncovered-it/ |
| Teacher At School For Troubled Teens Charged With Sex With Student May 22, 2018 at 8:47 am Filed Under:Eagle Rock School, Erin Byrd, Estes Park, Larimer County, Larimer County Sheriff, Local TV ESTES PARK, Colo. (CBS4) – A 22-year-old teacher in Estes Park is facing charges of having sex with a student. Erin Byrd (credit: Larimer County) Police say Erin Byrd started teaching at Eagle Rock School last fall. They said the student she allegedly had sex with was 17. Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center is a very small school that helps “adolescents who are not thriving in their current situations,” according to their website. Byrd was arrested on a charge of sexual assault on a child in a position of trust and was released on a $10,000 bond on Monday. Additional Resources The Larimer County Sheriff’s office released the following details about this case: The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone who has been victimized or may have information to contact Investigator Rita Servin at 970-498-5167. Source: http://denver.cbslocal.com/2018/05/22/teacher-estes-park-sex-student/ |
| 25 Investigates: Cops say sex traffickers sell foster kids on the weekends By: By Eric Rasmussen, Erin Smith Updated: May 22, 2018 - 6:26 PM Loading... 1 of 1 0 0 Share this with your friends! From To Compose your message 25 Investigates: Cops say sex traffickers sell foster kids on the weekendshttps://boston25.com/2IBjDxD 25 Investigates: Cops say sex traffickers sell foster kids on the weekends Story Highlights BOSTON 25 NEWS WILL BE AIRING THE RESULTS OF OUR YEARLONG INVESTIGATION INTO MISSING AND FORGOTTEN KIDS WEDNESDAY ON BOSTON 25 NEWS. BOSTON - Sex traffickers are selling foster kids on the weekends, 25 Investigates has uncovered. Investigative Reporter Eric Rasmussen found cases of kids in foster care pimped out on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then returned to their taxpayer-funded group homes on Monday. Records obtained by 25 Investigates reveal a female staff member working with foster kids at the Eliot Atlantic House in Saugus is suspected of convincing a then 16-year-old girl at the group home to sell herself for sex on the weekends. Content Continues Below That staff member told the foster child she “had a way they could make money together,” according to the report obtained by 25 Investigates. The girl told investigators the staff member took her to Worcester three times and once to Boston “to have sex with unknown men for money” on the weekends. MORE: How a Mass. native overcame his broken foster care experience In the report, the girl told investigators she would run away from her group home on weekends because she knew DCF couldn’t get a warrant for her until Monday. 25 Investigates is not naming the staff member because she’s not been charged with a crime at this point, but the allegations are now under state and federal investigation and the foster home has been closed. As shocking as this case sounds, police tell 25 Investigates they see this kind of thing too often. “If they’re being exploited, there’s usually a pattern of them running away,” said Methuen Police Captain Kristopher McCarthy. “They’ll run away Friday, Saturday, come back on Sundays.” According to one police report from last year, Saint Ann’s group home in Methuen allowed a 14-year-old girl was missing for the weekend last May after staff let her leave with a man who said he was her brother. But staff didn't get that man’s identification or get his last name, according to a police report, which noted cops reported the home to DCF. “We would hope in this case, if someone is going to visit someone else, there would be a check,” said Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon. Saint Ann’s denied the allegations and called the police report “incorrect,” saying the girl left with her brother, who was well-known to the group home. DCF later found the allegations of neglect unsupported. PREVIEW: 25 Investigates: Missing and Forgotten foster kids kicked out of the system But police say no one seems to know who the girl was with or what she was doing the entire weekend she was missing. She returned to saint Ann’s the following Monday. But investigators say that doesn’t mean she and other foster kids who repeatedly disappear on the weekends aren’t in danger. “They might bring the kid along for a couple of weekends just to party with them before they victimize them,” said McCarthy. DCF wouldn’t comment on the St. Ann’s missing foster child case, but emailed a statement about the Saugus investigation. “The Department of Children and Families has received a report on this situation and is investigating in collaboration with law enforcement,” said DCF spokeswoman Andrea Grossman. “All residents have been moved to other placements to ensure their safety and well-being while the investigation occurs.” The Eliot Atlantic House sent Boston 25 News the following statement: "Eliot Community Human Services identified a situation at Atlantic House and immediately reported it to DCF and law enforcement. The employee in question has been terminated from employment. The top priority of Eliot is the well-being of the children and adults we serve. The allegations are serious and deeply concerning and we are committed to doing everything possible to protect our clients. We have voluntarily suspended services at Atlantic House. We are conducting our own internal review and are fully cooperating with investigators. Given that the investigation remains active, we will have no further comment at this time." Source: https://www.fox25boston.com/news/25-investigates-cops-say-sex-traffickers-sell-foster-kids-on-the-weekends/754563643 |
| CPS director appears before judge; raided facilities remain open By Catherine Dominguez May 22, 2018 1 Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer / Houston Chronicle The Care Cottage is seen along I-45 South. The Care Cottage is seen along I-45 South. A state judge Tuesday closed a hearing concerning the welfare of dozens of young girls who live at a Montgomery County residential treatment center that is under investigation for sexual and physical abuse of residents, excluding not only the county attorney and local school superintendent but the attorney for the center. State District Judge Tracy Gilbert cleared the courtroom to hear testimony from Leshia Fisher, who is director of Region 6 of Child Protective Services. The judge closed the hearing after a request from a CPS attorney Bridget Smith Lawson, who cited sections of the Texas Family Code that apply to the confidentially of records relating to minors. Following the CPS director’s testimony, the judge ended the hearing and local elected officials were not only left in the dark about the key testimony but had not been able to give their opinions about whether the Care Cottage facilities in Willis should be closed. Despite a raid by county prosecutors on the center’s two locations May 16, none of the 56 girls at the facilities had been removed and the center remains open. However, CPR Media Specialist Tiffani Butler said that since the raid CPS officials have been at the facilities “around the clock” and added the girls were all “safe.” Removing the girls, she said, would be difficult. “It is a case by case basis,” Butler said. “Usually it is handled by removing the alleged perpetrator. We would have to find placement for dozens of children, that would be difficult. It would still have to be a place that fits the criteria (for the needs of the girls). She added: “As long we are able to remove what put them in jeopardy at that point, then that is the best way we go.” Last week, CPS confirmed that five workers at the facilities were fired prior to the raid including one who is suspected of having sexually assaulted a young girl. In the last two years, the state protective services conducted 106 inspections of the Care Cottage homes and documented 101 deficiencies. According to the Department of Family Protective Services site, Care Cottage North, located on Interstate 45, is still operating under an initial permit while Care Cottage, located on FM 2432, has been issued a full permit that will be up for renewal in March 2020. County Attorney J D Lambright said that CPS official Fisher was asked to produce a complete list of the girls staying at both Care Cottage facilities including their ages, what county they are from, their cause numbers and the attorney’s representing the girls to the court. Lambright said there are only five girls at the facilities that are from Montgomery County. Others not allowed to attend the hearing were Special Crimes Bureau Chief Tyler Dunman, of the DA’s Office, Willis Independent School District Superintendent Tim Harkrider and Stanley Schneider, a Houston attorney who is counsel for Care Cottage owners Howard and Tabitha Taylor. Lambright, Harkrider and Schneider all expressed surprise at being asked to leave. “The District Attorney’s Office has taken all the files from Care Cottage,” Schneider said. “All the identities and histories of those children are in (the DA’s) possession. There is nothing confidential … and because (Care Cottage) has a contract with CPS, there is no issue of confidentiality between my clients and CPS.” The Care Cottage facilities, which are licensed for 65 girls ages 6 to 17, are operated by the private HTK Care Foundation Inc, which is registered to Harold Taylor and his wife, Tabitha. The nonprofit foundation that operates the homes receives up to $435 per day per resident to provide care. The foundation’s annual report in 2016 listed income of $1.1 million and expenses of $1.1 million, with the Taylors each drawing salaries of $80,000. The allegations Lambright said he was alerted by Harkrider of the conditions at the facilities about three weeks ago. Harkrider and his staff had made dozens of reports to CPS officials regarding the care and treatment of the girls, he noted. Harkrider said the investigation will show the girls should be placed in other facilities. “Our overall thought process is we want the best placement for these girls as possible,” Harkrider said. “From where we stand right now, we think over the course of the DA’s investigation it will come out that this is not a proper facility to be able to take care of young girls.” A sworn statement from an investigator used to obtain the search warrant executed Wednesday at the facilities outlined allegations reported by residents to Willis ISD officials and others about abuse and neglect, including leaving students unattended and staff parties involving alcohol. Related Montgomery County officials raid care facility for girls after allegation of abuse CPS director appears before judge; raided facilities remain open 5 employees fired from Texas facilities amid investigation The investigator some girls in the residential facility had been injured while being restrained and that others were hog-tied by staff members and placed face down. Others girls were injured after trying to escape by jumping out of a second-floor window that was not repaired. At least three staff members are accused of having sexual relations with girls in their care, according to the statement. Additionally, girls who spoke to caseworkers with CPS during inspections were later punished by staff, who withheld snacks, phone privileges and other rewards, according to the affidavit. Schneider said Care Cottage foundations officials have followed CPS protocols from its establishment. “They have continued to work closely with CPS and have been in contact on a daily basis to provide for the welfare of foster children. They will continue to work with CPS during the investigation,” the attorney said. “In any incident, (Care Cottage officials) have worked with CPS and with the procedures required,” he added. “They are working very closely within the rules of CPS.” According to Dunman, the raid on the facilities was to gather information that might support the claims of abuse. He added investigators are still processing that information. “The criminal investigation is ongoing and we are moving as quickly as possible,” he said. “No arrests have been made at this point. [email protected] twitter.com/thecatdomnguez Source: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/CPS-director-appears-before-judge-raided-12935550.php |
| Problems continue at juvenile group home Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2018 12:00 am By April Towery [email protected] The Austin County Sheriff’s Department announced last week another incident at the Five Oaks Achievement Center in New Ulm, the latest in a string of occurrences that have plagued the at-risk juvenile group home, prompting residents and elected officials to plead with the state to shut it down. On April 24 the sheriff’s department was notified that two male juveniles ran away from the facility at 7674 Pechacek Road. Sheriff Jack Brandes initiated an aerial search and the runaways were located in an abandoned house on Post Oak Point Road a few hours later. Austin County commissioners unanimously agreed Feb. 12 to oppose the continued operation of the home, but the power lies with the state. While the Commissioners Court does not have regulatory authority over the privately-owned group home, their resolution called for an investigation by Texas Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and asks that she use her authority to close the facility. Five Oaks made headlines in January when a runaway from the facility set fire to a private residence in the area. The 15-year-old left the home in the early hours of Jan. 18 and walked half a mile through the woods, setting fire to a home. No one was injured. Following the incident, the Austin County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that the runaway stated “lax security at Five Oaks allowed him to walk out of the facility while supervisors were asleep.” The juvenile pleaded “true” to burglary of a habitation and arson and was placed by court order in a Texas Juvenile Justice Department facility on Feb. 1. "After the assessment, TJJD will place him in one of their facilities for treatment and detention. He will be held a minimum of one year and up to his 19th birthday," Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Kortney Estep said at the time. "Upon completion of that term, he could be released. Depending on his conduct, he could be transferred to adult prison." A town hall meeting was held soon after the arson incident at which residents expressed their frustration about recurring incidents at the group home. Source: http://www.sealynews.com/stories/problems-continue-at-juvenile-group-home,78658 |
| Youth prison watchdog calls for audit of medical contractor by Jake Bleiberg, BDN Staff Controversy surrounding the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland continues. (Troy R. Bennett | BDN) SOUT H PORTLAND (BDN) -- A private health care company that treats inmates at Maine’s youth prison has come under scrutiny in a new report from the facility’s independent oversight group. The watchdog report also echoes cries for a comprehensive review of the state systems that have filled the South Portland prison with young people battling mental illnesses. In its report to lawmakers, the Board of Visitors for the Long Creek Youth Development Center recommended creating committees to audit the work of health care contractor Correct Care Solutions and, in an accelerated time frame, suggest changes to the full range of youth services. “Correct Care Solutions has been under fire from advocates for many years because we have received so many complaints from prisoners about medical treatment,” said Joseph Jackson, head of the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition. The call for a comprehensive review of how Maine helps troubled young people is part of a chorus of such proposals. They have risen in the wake of Long Creek’s first suicide in decades and the revelation that many of the teens held there have disabilities and mental illnesses beyond what corrections staff are able to treat. But the suggestion that Correct Care Solutions’ contract should be reviewed adds a new facet to the debate over the prison. It has become public as the Tennessee-based company and Maine Department of Corrections are facing a lawsuit that claims an 11-year-old boy was denied emergency dental care after two Long Creek guards allegedly knocked out his teeth. The company and department, neither of which answered questions for this story, have denied these charges in court filings. They follow what the head of the visitors board characterized as a precipitous decline at the prison. “In the last few years, Long Creek has gone from being an exemplar among juvenile justice developmental facilities, to a program that’s had serious safety and quality concerns, despite the best efforts of committed, hardworking and well-intended staff,” Tonya DiMillo, the board chair, wrote in the group’s most recent annual report. ‘This unfortunate road’ The visitors board places this decline in the context of Maine’s troubled history with corrections and mental health care, including alleged abuses at the youth prison that preceded Long Creek and the federal government’s 2013 decertification and subsequent condemnations of the Riverview Psychiatric Center. “We have been down this unfortunate road before,” wrote DiMillo, whose group is empowered by law to inspect, review and report on the prison. “I think we can all recognize the parallels in how we have treated our most vulnerable.” Corrections officials have acknowledged that the facility was at the brink of a crisis last summer, but say things have improved significantly since then, with a staff shortage being filled and new positions created to help young people with mental illness. On Friday, the department announced that a triennial audit had found the prison to comply fully with the American Correctional Association standards. In a statement, Commissioner Joseph Fitzpatrick said he “is proud of the efforts underway at Long Creek to provide the best care and service to the juveniles in our custody.” Nevertheless, the problems there have led advocates to call for Long Creek’s closure. In its report, the visitors board states that “simple closure does not find a solution” but suggests moving youth programs from under the umbrella of the adult corrections system. In an interview, DiMillo said that the purpose of her recommendations is to build mechanisms that can assure the quality of services for youth throughout Maine. At Long Creek and other prisons, the quality of health care is a frequent complaint from inmates, according to Jackson. “People feel their conditions aren’t treated or are treated improperly,” said Jackson, who served time in the Maine correctional system before becoming a prisoners’ rights advocate.“These are consistent among many of the [inmates’] complaints.” Last winter, top corrections officials responded to an independent audit that found “dangerous and harmful conditions” at Long Creek by saying that they were working with the Department of Health and Human Services to quickly open secure, regional psychiatric facilities that would take some of the pressure off the prison. In December, Fitzpatrick said these centers might serve nearly a third of the young people then at the prison and that they could be opened by this spring. But there’s so far been little evidence to suggest that this timetable will be met. This spring, the corrections department and a nonprofit group did open the state’s first publicly funded halfway house for youth leaving Long Creek. And last week, the Department of Health and Human Services began a process of making rules that would govern “psychiatric residential treatment facilities.” But details about these new centers are scant. Despite remaining vague, the proposed treatment facilities have drawn criticism from Disability Rights Maine, which argues that they would be overly restrictive and costly. The organization contends that what is actually needed is more community-based care. “Many children have been waiting for home- and community-based services, sometimes for years,” said Peter Rice, the advocacy group’s legal director, adding that Maine should develop an overarching plan to help young people with mental health needs. ‘Restricted, non-transparent and siloed’ The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that the mental health treatment facilities are in the works but has not responded to repeated questions about their specifics. In its report, the Long Creek visitors board suggests that this tight-lipped approach to a much-discussed problem ill serves Maine kids. “In our current governing environment we must shift away from what appears to be a restricted, non-transparent and siloed approach,” the board’s report states. Indeed, the report was difficult to obtain. Maine law requires that the visitors board for each prison send an annual report to the Department of Corrections and the Legislature’s committee on criminal justice and public safety. DiMillo said she did this in April. The Bangor Daily News sent the Corrections Department a Freedom of Access Act request for the report that month. To date, the department has neither provided the report nor claimed it is exempt from the public records law. A criminal justice committee staff member, who previously said she did not have the report, provided it to the the Bangor Daily News on Thursday, saying that it had been sent to the committee chairs but mistakenly not circulated to other lawmakers. In the report, the Long Creek board says that problems at the prison are “symptomatic” of underlying public health and safety issues and suggests a more collaborative approach is needed to solve them. DiMillo said that one mechanism for such collaboration used to be the Children’s Cabinet, a council in which the heads of state agencies could coordinate policies to help children, from education initiatives to criminal justice reforms. Although it is established in law, the cabinet has been inactive under Gov. Paul LePage. The Republican governor has supported interdepartmental collaboration but does not see the need for the cabinet’s “duplicative reporting structure,” his press secretary, Julie Rabinowitz, told the BDN in February. Source: http://wgme.com/news/local/youth-prison-watchdog-calls-for-audit-of-medical-contractor-05-28-2018 |
| Iowa is holding problem children in isolation as it pays big settlements Iowa paid dearly for holding this troubled teen in isolation for up to 21 hours a day. He's not the only one being locked away. Jason Clayworth, [email protected] Published 6:00 a.m. CT May 30, 2018 | Updated 2:37 p.m. CT May 30, 2018 CLOSE JaQuan Bradford spent as many as 21 hours a day locked in seclusion at the Iowa Juvenile home when he was 12 years old. Rodney White, [email protected] Buy Photo JaQuan Bradford and his mother LaRisha Bradford at the Des Moines Register studio, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Iowa this month paid a second $150k+ settlement to children of the now-closed Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo. Iowa locked 12-year-old JaQuan Bradford in seclusion for up to 21 hours a day.(Photo: Rodney White/The Register)Buy Photo CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE For nearly 2½ years, JaQuan Bradford — a boy with emotional and mental disabilities — was held in isolation by the Iowa Department of Human Services for most of each day. Beginning in 2008 when he was 12, Bradford was kept alone for as much as 21 hours a day at the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo and often wasn't allowed to attend school. He began pulling out his hair, hallucinating, defecating on himself and contemplating suicide. He imagined that the staff was putting harmful substances in his food, so he stopped eating, plummeting from around 150 pounds to 97. This month, a state official acknowledged for the first time that what Iowa did to Bradford was wrong. That acknowledgment came just before the Iowa Appeal Board approving a $175,000 payment to settle a federal lawsuit in the matter. “Our expert that we hired believed some of the records indicate some inappropriate confinement, and that’s what this settlement reflects,” Jeff Thompson, a deputy attorney general, told the Iowa Appeal Board earlier this month, just moments before its three members unanimously voted to approve the settlement. Story From Les Schwab Stay on Top of Tire Care See more → But despite Bradford's payout and another $225,000 settlement in a separate case, the Department of Human Services continues to use the policy that locks up juveniles in solitary confinement — also called isolation or seclusion — as a form of discipline. Several national experts contacted by the Des Moines Register said such policies are outdated, unnecessarily excessive, severely harmful to child development and far outside the national norm. And a separate federal lawsuit is challenging the department's ongoing use of solitary confinement for children. DHS spokesman Matt Highland said the agency would not comment on its use of the seclusion policy, citing the federal litigation. Mother LaRisha Bradford, said silence and lack of accountability is a large part of the problem. She testified in her son’s case that she contacted Human Services social workers, voiced concern to judges and reached out to several attorneys in hopes of ending her son’s isolation — but she said no one took her concerns seriously. “I guess because I was just one single voice, I didn’t matter,” LaRisha Bradford said. JaQuan’s history and the systems that failed him Bradford’s family had concerns about his behavior before preschool. Buy Photo JaQuan Bradford received a settlement from the state after a now-closed Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo locked Bradford in seclusion for up to 21 hours a day when he was 12 years old. (Photo: Rodney White/The Register) He was diagnosed at an early age with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and multiple other behavioral or mental disabilities that contributed to volatile behaviors such as self-harm and aggression. Now 22, he has an IQ of 83, which is below average. As a boy, he witnessed domestic abuse and experienced physical abuse from his mother’s boyfriend, court records show. Those records also show: By age 12, the Des Moines boy had been charged with multiple crimes, including criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and interference with official acts. He had violated the terms of home detention related to some of those charges by attacking his cousin and being disorderly. At his mother's request, Iowa’s court system in 2010 labeled Bradford a “child in the need of assistance,” removing him from his mother’s care and placing him at the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo. Bradford had difficulty adjusting to the juvenile home, being placed in isolation for 843 of the 844 days he was at the facility, court records show. The juvenile home staff determined Bradford needed to be monitored any time he was in close proximity to another resident because he was a risk for “sexual acting-out behavior.” Despite that designation, the juvenile home staff allowed Bradford to participate in a trial early-bed program that court records show resulted in him engaging in sexual activities with at least one other resident of the home. Human Services officials investigated and confirmed the incident as a case of child abuse for its employees' failure to provide supervision, court records show. Bradford was placed in the juvenile home’s infirmary before the child abuse case was investigated. His behavior “required restraints and being locked at the infirmary for his behaviors,” Human Services reported in a Nov. 4, 2010, document. And a DHS case review from June 9, 2010, showed Bradford sometimes received his schoolwork but no classroom instruction. At one point, when officials told Bradford they were returning him to the infirmary he became angry, pushing both hands through a glass window and lacerating his arms. He was flown from Toledo to the University of Iowa Hospitals, where he underwent extensive surgery. Buy Photo JaQuan Bradford and his mother LaRisha Bradford at the Des Moines Register studio, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Iowa this month paid a second $150k+ settlement to children of the now-closed Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo. Iowa locked 12-year-old JaQuan Bradford in seclusion for up to 21 hours a day. (Photo: Rodney White/The Register) The incident left Bradford with nerve damage, and his right hand is permanently clinched. Bradford was transferred to Eldora Boys State Training School when he was 14 and ultimately released to his mother’s care shortly before turning 18. Was the settlement a way to make the Bradfords 'hush?' He is unable to work because of his mental and physical health issues. He doesn’t have a high school degree or GED. He says — and his mother confirms — that he has flashbacks to his time in isolation, feeling anxious when he is alone. And his legal difficulties have continued. In 2014, JaQuan Bradford was convicted of theft for punching a woman in the face at Merle Hay Mall and helping a group of men steal her cellphone. While in the Polk County Jail in 2014, he was convicted of assaulting an officer and criminal mischief for intentionally damaging plumbing. Buy Photo JaQuan Bradford and his mother LaRisha Bradford at the Des Moines Register studio, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Iowa this month paid a second $150k+ settlement to children of the now-closed Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo. Iowa locked 12-year-old JaQuan Bradford in seclusion for up to 21 hours a day. (Photo: Rodney White/The Register) And in 2015 he was sentenced to five years in prison for a Waterloo burglary, being released April 8. LaRisha Bradford believes her son’s difficulties were made worse by the isolation and treatment he received in the juvenile home. She said she doesn’t believe the settlement is sufficient but the family agreed to it because they want to move ahead. “You have groups like the Humane Society fight for dogs and cats, but who fights for people like JaQuan?” LaRisha Bradford said. “I feel like the settlement is them saying, ‘Hey, what we did was maybe wrong so here ya go. Now hush.’” Iowa’s seclusion policy is an outlier Gov. Terry Branstad ordered the Iowa Juvenile Home closed in January 2014 after a series of Des Moines Register investigations detailed its use of long-term isolation and failure to comply with federal special-education laws. Branstad based his order largely on the recommendations of a five-member task force whose chairman was Jerry Foxhoven, who is now the Iowa DHS director. Foxhoven in 2014 was the director of the Neal & Bea Smith Legal Clinic at Drake University. “I know there will be criticisms of this, but I don’t think there is any question that implementing these recommendations is the best thing for the kids there,” Foxhoven said in 2014. In addition to JaQuan Bradford's recent settlement, Iowa in 2015 paid Jessica Turner of Okoboji $235,000 to settle a separate lawsuit alleging she was wrongfully secluded at the juvenile home in Toledo. Turner said she spent 280 of her 528 days at the facility in an isolation cell. There are no other pending lawsuits related to seclusion at the former Toledo facility. The State Training School for Boys in Eldora, however, is the focus of an ongoing federal lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Iowa and Children’s Rights Inc., a New York nonprofit. The lawsuit does not seek damages but instead asks the court to order Human Services administrators to make fundamental changes in the way they address the needs of youth at the facility, who range in age from 12 to 18. Disability Rights Iowa contends the use of isolation should be used sparingly in tightly monitored situations when there is an immediate risk of harm. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three juveniles at the facility, but Disability Rights officials said they will seek class-action status. It remains unknown how widely the isolation policy is being used at the Eldora facility, which holds 100 to 130 boys. Disability Rights said previous reviews of the facility showed that most of its residents were sentenced to at least some time in isolation. Other Human Services facilities are not known to isolate children as punishment, Disability Rights officials said. “There was a time when solitary (confinement) was thought to be a good thing,” said Nathan Kirstein, an attorney for Disability Rights Iowa. “But now we know the damage that can be done to the human psyche by not having human contact. "We’re social beings, and this is something that should be used very, very minimally, if at all.” Iowa is one of seven states that has no set time limit on keeping juveniles in isolation for disciplinary purposes, according to a July 2016 report by the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest. The other states are Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan and Wyoming. President Obama in 2016 issued an executive order banning the use of solitary confinement for juvenile offenders, writing an opinion piece published by the Washington Post that called unnecessary solitary confinement “an affront to our common humanity.” Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, Indiana and Mississippi have either sharply reduced or eliminated isolation at juvenile facilities while Colorado and Nebraska lawmakers have passed legislation to limit its use, according to the group Stop Solitary of Kids. The group is a collaborative effort of the Justice Policy Institute; Center for Children’s Law and Policy; Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform and the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators. Dozens of scientific research papers cited on the Stop Solitary for Kids website concludes that isolation generally is ineffective. Its use has long-lasting effects on children that include psychosis, anxiety, depression and an increased risk of suicide and self-harm, the studies generally conclude. “What you are doing is causing a lot of harm to children,” said Natalie Kraner, an attorney for Lowenstein. “Solitary is not a good environment for rehabilitation and it doesn’t make us safer as a community.” Iowa workers injured; is seclusion a factor? Eldora’s staff have been injured at least twice in the past year, the latest in May when a boy knocked out a worker’s teeth and broke bones in his nose, cheeks and an eye socket. It’s unknown if seclusion played a role in the injuries. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said Disability Rights’ complaints about the state facility have emboldened residents to disobey staff members. Danny Homan, the union’s Iowa president, declined to outline what seclusion levels his group might support. “I’m going to leave it to the very qualified staff at that (Eldora) facility to come up with policies that are reasonable," Homan said. Kirstein, the Disability Rights attorney, said he believes there is a misunderstanding in his group’s efforts. He believes Eldora’s staff would be safer if Iowa revised its use juvenile seclusion. "When you reduce seclusion and have more educated and better-trained staff, you have a safer facility," Kirstein said. "Facilities that have undergone these transformations show that." Colorado’s human services department reformed its policy in 2014 on its use of juvenile seclusion in light of research and concerns that some of its methods were ineffective. The state had stopped using seclusion as punishment almost 20 years ago but still used it widely in other situations. Now agency workers must check on juveniles in seclusion every five minutes and document the reasons for an emergency that justify its continued use. The agency also now must obtain a court order if it wants to hold a child in seclusion more than eight hours in two consecutive days. Since the changes in Colorado, the rate of seclusion incidents in its youth facilities have fallen, violence is down and graduation rates have increased, Colorado records show. The average time of Colorado’s juvenile seclusion is now 33 minutes, compared with 15 hours nationwide, according to tracking from the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators. “Although not popular with many folks in corrections for a long time, it’s certainly the right thing to do with people we are caring for,” said Anders Jacobson, the director of youth corrections for Colorado's Department of Human Services. Source: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2018/05/30/iowa-isolation-troubled-children-seclusion-solitary-confinement-punishment/598250002/ |
| State investigators raid group home over deplorable living conditions 1 day 1 hour 12 minutes ago Wednesday, May 30 2018 May 30, 2018 May 30, 2018 6:15 PM May 30, 2018 in News Source: WBRZ By: Chris Nakamoto Share: 00:0000:0000:00 00:00 UPDATE: On Wednesday night, group home owner Chantay Davenport responded, claiming the photos from inside her facility were a violation of her resident's privacy. She told WBRZ that residents are responsible for taking care of themselves and she is not neglecting them. ***** BATON ROUGE- A group home that has been operating despite its name being revoked by the Secretary of State for failing to file documents in a timely manner is under the microscope after horrible conditions were exposed by a relative who has a family member there. Wednesday, investigators from the State Fire Marshal's office paid a visit to the house following a flood of complaints. Larry Thomas has lived there for several years, and his niece who works in the mental health arena said she's had enough. "It was brought to my attention from another family member that my uncle didn't look right," Myles said. "Matter of fact, he said he looked like death. When I went to see him he was very fragile." Myles left with an incredulous look. She saw medicine exposed for anyone to grab, unpainted walls, junk scattered throughout the home, people sleeping on the floor, residents neglected, and not provided with basic necessities. "The last time I went, I saw this lady and a couple of other people eating with their hands," Myles said. "I asked, 'Why are you guys eating with your hands?' And they said, 'We have no utensils.'" She said despite the owners taking $1,000 of her uncle's money per month, he's living in awful conditions. About $650 goes to rent and the rest is supposed to go to hygiene and food. Myles said she asked the owner about where the rest of the money was going and she said that the owner didn't have that documentation. With all of those issues exposed, the WBRZ Investigative Unit went looking for answers Wednesday from the group home's owner, Chantay Davenport. "I can't tell you anything," a worker said when answering the door. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises. I'm fixing to call the police." Myles said their lack of wanting to answer questions is enough of an answer for her. Wednesday, Myles took her uncle out of the home. "I want to see her shut down for good," Myles said. "I don't want to see her shut down this house and move to another house. She needs to be stopped, because she's taking the money of people who don't have a voice and profiting off of it." Source: http://www.wbrz.com/news/state-investigators-raid-group-home-over-deplorable-living-conditions |
| Fraud Watch: Michigan Agency Owner Guilty in $8 Million Fraud Case By Amy Baxter | May 30, 2018 Michigan Agency Owner Pleads Guilty in $8 Million Fraud Scheme Zahir Shah, 48, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, pleaded guilty to fraud charges for his role in a scheme involving approximately $8 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for home health services procured through illegal kickbacks, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Shah pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks in connection with Medicare beneficiaries. As part of the guilty plea, Shah admitted that he submitted false certifications to enroll and stay enrolled as a Medicare provider. He further admitted to paying illegal kickbacks to recruiters in exchange for Medicare beneficiary referrals and billed Medicare for claims procured through these illegal kickbacks. Shah caused a loss of about $8 million to Medicare through false and fraudulent claims from 2007 to 2017. In a separate case, another home health care agency owner based in Michigan pleaded guilty to charges for his role in a scheme involving Medicare claims for services that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks. Atheir Amarrah, 43, of West Bloomfield, the owner of Prompt Care Home Health Services Inc. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks in connection with Medicare beneficiaries and to four substantive counts of paying health care kickbacks. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25. The scheme is alleged to have resulted in a loss up to $1.8 million to the Medicare program, spanning from 2013 through 2017. Texas Nurse Convicted in $3.5 Million Fraud Scheme A 51-year-old nurse of Sugar Land, Texas, has been convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of health care fraud and conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. John Dubor, who owned and operated Care Committers Health Services home health care agency in Richmond, was convicted after the jury deliberated for less than six hours following a three-day trial. The jury heard evidence that Dubor paid marketers and group home owners for Medicare beneficiary information and subsequently billed Medicare and Medicaid for home health services for which the beneficiaries did not quality and/or did not receive. He also personally falsified home health patient assessment forms documents to make beneficiaries appear sicker on paper to receive higher reimbursement rates from Medicare, according to the DOJ. Dubor instructed his employees to falsify home health certifications and forge physician signatures. Medicare paid him approximately $3.5 million. The beneficiaries had no recollection of ever being treated by the Houston physicians listed on their home health orders, according to the DOJ. Lorraine Whitaker, 59, Dubor’s co-conspirator, had previously pleaded conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute and is awaiting sentencing. Dubber faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of health care fraud and up to five years for conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute. A hearing is set for Sept. 7, 2018. Doctor Convicted in $8.9 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme A jury found a physician guilty today for her role in a scheme involving approximately $8.9 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for home health care and other physician services that were procured through illegal kickbacks, were not medically necessary, not actually provided, or were provided by the defendant, who was not a licensed physician during the conspiracy. Millicent Traylor, 47, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks in connection with Medicare beneficiaries, and five counts of health care fraud following a four-day trial, the DOJ reported. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 27. Taylor, who was unlicensed at the time of the scheme—which ran from 2011 to 2016—acted as a physician for companies, providing services that were not medically necessary and were billed to Medicare as if they were provided by a licensed physician, according to the DOJ. She also conspired to bill Medicare for services that were never rendered and falsified records. Evidence showed Taylor and co-conspirators paid and received kickbacks in exchange for referring Medicare beneficiaries to serve as patients at clinics, and she fraudulently signed the names of licensed physicians on prescriptions for opioid medications, such as oxycodone, as a means of inducing patient participation in the scheme. Source: https://homehealthcarenews.com/2018/05/fraud-watch-michigan-agency-owner-guilty-in-8-million-fraud-case/ |
| Care home forced disabled Missouri man to fight to the death Posted 9:37 pm, May 31, 2018, by Katherine Hessel, Updated at 07:12PM, May 31, 2018 Facebook109 Twitter Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Email Care home forced disabled Missouri man to fight to the death FULTON, Mo. - A 62-page civil lawsuit filed in federal court names 18 defendants in the wrongful death case of 31-year-old Carl DeBrodie. It also details what may have happened to DeBrodie in the months leading up to his death. Carl’s aunt, Carol Samson, said Carl had a developmental disability. He was a ward of the state and lived at Second Chance Group Home in Fulton, Missouri. On April 14, 2017, the morning that Carl’s assisted living home was set to change ownership, it was reported that Carl had wandered away. One week later, Carl’s remains were found in a trash bin, encased in concrete, in a storage unit a few miles from the group home. New court documents reveal Carl most likely died six months before he was reported missing. Rudy Veit, the attorney for Carl’s family, said there were numerous individuals who could have prevented this. According to the civil lawsuit, in the fall of 2016, Sherry Paulo, the manager of the assisted living home and her husband Anthony Flores, also an employee of the home, made Carl and another resident stay overnight in the basement of their personal home without beds or a mattress. The lawsuit alleges that Carl and the resident were forced to fight each other for the amusement of Flores, Paulo, and her family. According to the civil lawsuit, Flores was awakened by Carl's screams and found him non-responsive and convulsing on the basement floor. The family attorney alleges Flores and Paulo didn’t call 911 but instead put Carl in a bathtub, where he died. Carl’s family said they didn't check on him the year prior to his death because they were told they couldn’t. “They were instructed not to contact him because it agitated him and created other problems,” Veit said. “They entrusted his care to a state agency, who they thought they could trust.” Veit said there were nurses and special services representatives who were supposed to check on Carl every month. He said they kept signing paperwork that he was okay when he was dead. Veit said the system failed Carl. Part of this case is being handled by the FBI. Veit believes that criminal charges will be coming. Source: http://kplr11.com/2018/05/31/care-home-forced-disabled-missouri-man-to-fight-to-the-death/ |
| Teens in NC psych center were choked, zip tied, faced 'imminent danger,' state says By Fred Clasen-Kelly And Cassie Cope [email protected] [email protected] LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest Reddit Print Order Reprint of this Story June 05, 2018 04:26 PM Soon after the Union County psychiatric center opened its doors, the trouble started, state documents show. Patients at Anderson Health Services — teenagers as young as 13 with histories of physical and sexual abuse, suicide attempts, sex trafficking and assault — stole drugs and obtained a knife, a hammer and a wooden chair leg that was wielded as a weapon, according to a June 1 report. One girl ran away three times in 11 days, requiring police to use bloodhounds to help track her down. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, which licenses and oversees psychiatric centers, announced Monday that it has suspended most operations at Anderson Health and plans to move patients to other facilities for treatment. Anderson Health is one of 37 psychiatric residential treatment facilities in North Carolina where patients get care for severe mental and behavioral problems. This is how NC is punishing a psych center where kids say they were abused Newly released state records and investigative reports obtained by the Observer detail allegations of physical abuse, faulty treatment and failures by Anderson Health Services since it opened in Marshville in September. In a blistering report released Monday, the state said Anderson Health's actions put patients in "imminent danger." "Systemic failures of the facility endangered the health, safety and welfare of the clients resulting in serious abuse, harm and neglect," the report said. Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:00 / 3:04 Allegations of rape, abuse hit NC psychiatric center Advertisement Questions surround a Charlotte, NC psychiatric hospital overseen by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and whether it is properly treating and supervising children. WBTV Staffers made a patient sick by giving him the wrong anti-psychotic drug and other medicine, used improper restraint holds, and failed to adequately treat a girl who needed stitches after she was injured trying to scale an 8-foot fence during an escape attempt, according to the recently released reports. In one instance, nursing staff left 29 pills used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on top of a refrigerator. The pills disappeared and were never found. Some workers were not adequately trained, and managers once promoted a cook to counselor without requiring additional training, documents show. The person second-in-charge of the center was responsible for supervision, corporate compliance and documentation intake and coordination for new clients despite having no documented training for the job. The state said staffers at Anderson Health in April used zip ties to restrain a 14-year-old girl who was attempting to run away. She was zip tied for more than an hour and no staffers intervened to help free her, the report said. State investigators called the incident "serious abuse and neglect," and suggested a $3,000 fine. Anderson Health Services In another case, the state says Anderson Health did not investigate or properly report allegations of abuse against a 16-year-old who said a staffer put him in a choke hold. The two staff members present both denied the choking incident. Anderson Health operator Alfred Owens referred questions to Charlotte attorney Richard Tomberlin. In an email, Tomberlin said Anderson Health had filed an appeal, disputing the state's allegations. He refused to answer questions or provide a copy of the appeal. Documents portray the 72-bed facility, about 35 miles southeast of Charlotte, as struggling to supervise and care for patients since it opened. Patients received educational instruction only three hours a day due to lack of staffing. Some workers couldn't demonstrate competency required to help patients, records show. A worker told state investigators in April that staffing was so thin there were not enough workers on shifts to properly restrain patients who might harm themselves or others. "There was usually only one staff working with the clients, but 'maybe two if you are lucky,' " a staffer told the state, according to the documents. 'Imminent danger' The action against Anderson Health comes three months after the state punished another treatment facility, Strategic Behavioral Center in Charlotte, where teens said they were abused. At Anderson Health, nine girls and eight boys lived in separate units, where problems were documented and operations have been suspended, said Cobey Culton, a spokesman for DHHS. On Tuesday, officials were still seeking new placements for them, Culton said. A third unit, licensed separately from the others, is still open, but the state has halted new admissions, Culton said. He said he did not know how many children were in that unit, which is allowed to treat up to 12 people. Even the most well-run psychiatric centers can encounter problems. Patients with serious psychiatric conditions sometimes behave violently. But the state found that Anderson Health did not develop strategies to address dangerous behaviors from patients and did not provide therapy spelled out in treatment plans. In one example, state investigators said, four girls were able to obtain "contraband" on nine separate occasions in a roughly two-week span between April and May. They locked themselves in a bathroom and used the contraband to cause self-harm, investigators reported. Yet Anderson Health implemented no treatment plan to address the self-harm and made no environmental changes to ensure increased safety. Other times, the state says, staffers did not take proper and immediate action to help patients who were injured. In one instance, a girl injured her wrist attempting to scale an 8-foot fence to run away from the facility, requiring 15 stitches. Her wound "turned black and sutures were not removed within 7 to 10 days as ordered," the report said. Another time, nursing staff did not get a patient proper medical treatment recommended by paramedics and police after that patient was injured by an unapproved physical hold by a staffer, according to a June 1 report. Clasen-Kelly: 704-358-5027; Cope: 704-358-5926 Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article212517764.html#storylink=cpy |
| Ex-group home employee charged with sex abuse also worked at East Bay school district By Nate Gartrell | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: June 5, 2018 at 10:00 am | UPDATED: June 5, 2018 at 10:12 am RICHMOND — A former Pinole group home employee who was charged with sexually abusing a developmentally disabled adult for years had previously worked at the West Contra Costa County school district for at least three years, according to records. Dawaun King, 36, was charged with sex with an incompetent person and dependent adult abuse in a 10-count felony complaint that alleges he abused the victim from 2014 to last October. His bail has been set at $9.1 million. Authorities say that after King left the the California Autism Foundation facility in Pinole where he worked, the victim — a man referred to only as “John Doe” in court records — came forward to police. Doe’s disability prevented him from being able to legally consent, police said. “The victim here showed tremendous courage,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves said. From 2012 to 2014, King worked as a classroom aide at the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Each year, he received around $23,000 in salary and benefits, according to public records. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that additional victims exist, and say anyone with information on King can contact the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office at 925-957-2200, or Pinole police at 510-724-8950. Source: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/06/05/ex-group-home-employee-charged-with-sex-abuse-also-worked-at-school-district/ |
| Watervliet man pleads guilty to assaulting two students at former school June 07, 2018 07:11 PM A man from Watervliet pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting two students at the former Eagleton School. Isaac Harris-El was sentenced to one year at the Berkshire County Jail. Advertisement – Content Continues Below The Eagleton School closed in 2016 after the state revoked its license. Harris-El was among several employees accused of abuse at the residential treatment center for boys with emotional and behavioral problems. Source: http://wnyt.com/news/watervliet-albany-county-man-issac-harris-el-pleads-guilty-to-assaulting-former-students-eagleton-school/4940861/ |
| Ex-foster parent gets 25 years for sexually assaulting children in his care By DENEEN SMITH [email protected] Deneen Smith Jun 7, 2018 Former Twin Lakes foster parent Gary Reed got a 25-year prison term during sentencing Thursday for sexually abusing children he had in his care. Speaking through a letter read to the court by his wife, one of Reed’s victims said he thought he had finally found salvation from a lifetime of abuse when he was placed in Reed’s home. A teenager when he was placed as a foster child in the Twin Lakes home, the man said he had been physically and emotionally abused in his father’s home from an early age and had repeatedly been ignored by authorities when he sought help. He finally escaped his father’s abuse by jumping from a window and fleeing barefoot in winter to a friend’s home. When he landed in Reed’s home, he said through his letter, he thought his years of abuse were finally at an end. “For the first time in my life I felt safe,” he said. But soon, he said, Reed began to sexually assault him, telling him that, if he told anyone what was happening, he would be sent away to someplace worse. “Gary Reed was at one point a father figure to me, and was the only parental figure I ever had,” the man wrote. He said he still valued some of the things he learned from Reed, typical things a teen might learn from a parent, like gardening. “But I am also very damaged by him.” The man said he dropped out of high school as soon as he was turning 18 and went out on his own. “I’ve been playing catchup ever since.” Sentenced for sexual assaults Reed, 65, was charged with sexual assault last year after one of his former foster children went to Twin Lakes Police to report he had been sexually abused by Reed about 23 years before. Police there took the story seriously and launched an investigation, eventually capturing audio of Reed admitting in a phone conversation with the former foster child that he sexually abused him. After he was charged in that case, other victims came forward. He eventually pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of two victims. Reed was a foster parent from 1992 to 2009, typically taking teenage boys who are often the most difficult foster children to place. At an often emotional sentencing hearing Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Angelina Gabriele said that she worked in the juvenile court system at the time Reed was a foster parent. She said the court system at the time was “massively and tragically duped” by Reed, who appeared from the outside to be a devoted foster parent to troubled youth. “These boys were the perfect victims. They had no family support. They had troubled pasts. And he had total control over them,” she said. Reed: ‘I should have gotten help’ Reed, speaking to the judge, appeared to be surprised that his actions had had a lasting impact on his former foster children. “I realize this was the worst choice I made,” he said. “I guess I didn’t realize how many people would be affected. I guess I should have gotten help.” Judge Bruce Schroeder sentenced Reed to 25 years in prison followed by 15 years of extended supervision on one case. For the second case, he sentenced him to 10 years of supervision consecutive to the first case. He noted that he will be 90 years old when he is released from prison. “You know what, you chose to do evil,” Schroeder said, saying he victimized “very vulnerable people who had no one else in the world.” After the hearing, Gabriele praised the bravery of the former foster children who came forward. “I’d like to think it was cathartic, for these boys, now men, to come forward and to finally be believed,” she said. Source: http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/ex-foster-parent-gets-years-for-sexually-assaulting-children-in/article_8754de68-3ac4-52c9-922e-e6670922f199.html |
| Hawthorne Cedar Knolls announces details of layoffs due to closure Hawthorne Cedar Knolls reveals how many employees facing layoffs due to pending closure David Robinson, The Journal News Published 12:47 p.m. ET June 11, 2018 | Updated 3:24 p.m. ET June 11, 2018 The embattled Hawthorne Cedar Knolls facility plans to lay off 107 workers in the coming weeks, state records show. The layoff notice comes after the residential treatment center with a history of security problems announced it’s closing this summer. It is the first look at the economic toll of shuttering the site under pressure from lawmakers and community members. Workers will be losing their jobs as the site closes in phases, ending August 31, state labor records show. Cedar Knolls officials said efforts are underway to relocate the operation and workers to limit layoffs. INSIDE: Exclusive look at Cedar Knolls campus HAWTHORNE: Will fence, guard improve Cedar Knolls security? Cedar Knolls plans to move its residential youth services to a new program in the Bronx around August 31, and it is actively engaged in helping to place staff in roles in the new facility, or elsewhere within the agency, officials said. Cedar Knolls is operated by the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, which revealed the closure plans during a public forum at Mount Pleasant Town Hall that included elected officials and state administrators. "Enough was enough," State Sen. Terrence Murphy, R-Yorktown, said at the time of the security problems with Cedar Knolls. Most incidents involving residents leaving campus without permission and causing trouble in the community have involved Cedar Knolls. The latest incident that drew the public's ire, though, involved a teenager from the Mann Center who was arrested after she allegedly burglarized a home near campus on Jan. 22. Buy Photo Drivers enter the property that houses Hawthorne Cedar Knolls in Mount Pleasant on June 16, 2017. (Photo: Matt Spillane/The Journal News) The other facilities on the Cedar Knolls campus at 226 Linda Ave., including the Goldsmith Center and Mann Center, will remain open. The Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School District will also continue to operate on the campus. There were 54 youths at Cedar Knolls, which has a capacity of 78, at the time of the closure announcement, and they were expected to return to their families or foster families this summer. Cedar Knolls' officials noted the closure plan didn't disrupt any of the 54 youths' typical transition from treatment to home, or another facility. Cedar Knolls is overseen by the state Office of Children and Family Services and provides mental health, social and therapeutic services to troubled youths who typically have behavior issues. The Goldsmith and Mann centers are overseen by the state Office of Mental Health and deal with youths who have had trauma, psychiatric and mental health issues. Source: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/health/2018/06/11/hawthorne-cedar-knolls-layoffs-due-closure/690460002/ |
| 3 charged after allegedly injuring children at Care Cottage facility in Montgomery Co. SHARE: share tweet share email Ad Duration00:00 Current time00:52Seek100.39% buffered 00:00 Duration00:53Volume NEXT UP: ER doctor caught mocking, cursing at patient suspended Back EMBED </>More Videos Three people with abuse at child foster care facility SHARE share tweet share email KTRK Thursday, June 14, 2018 11:11AM WILLIS, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities have charged three people for allegedly abusing children at the Care Cottage, the residential treatment center where they worked in Willis. Hiram Thigpen and Jasmin Lyons have been arrested. Officials are still looking for a third suspect, Jadaniran Thompson. In an incident on April 11, Thigpen is accused of grabbing and throwing a child to the floor, then putting his knee on the child's neck, affecting the child's ability to breathe. Thigpen still works at the facility. He is charged with injury to a child, a third degree felony. He was arrested on Tuesday by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Lyons no longer works for Care Cottage but was charged with felony injury to a disabled child for her alleged role in an incident on October 10, 2017. Officials say Lyons grabbed and twisted a child's arm, fracturing it. She was also arrested on Tuesday. Deputies are now asking for the public's help to find Thompson, who is accused of grabbing a child's neck on Feb. 27. Thompson allegedly scratched and squeezed the child's neck, making it difficult to breathe. The sheriff's office issued an arrest warrant for Thompson for injury to a child on Monday. The arrests and charges come after authorities in Montgomery County received a search warrant for both Care Cottage facilities in Willis on May 17. Officials say the arrests are also part of an ongoing investigation into Care Cottage. "Local law enforcement agencies are committed to protecting these children and we are aggressively pursuing any alleged criminal act of violence that is or has occurred against these kids. On these arrests, we look forward to presenting the evidence to a Montgomery County jury," said Special Crimes Bureau Chief Tyler Dunman. Thompson is 22-years-old. She is 5'10 and 185 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. If you have any information about where she might be, you're asked to call Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-7867. Source: http://abc13.com/3-accused-of-abusing-children-at-care-cottage-in-montgomery-co/3601910/ |
| Former Great Barrington school employee in court June 13, 2018 07:02 PM A former employee of the Eagleton School in Great Barrington was back in Berkshire Superior Court Wednesday. James Yeaman, 64, of Lee admitted the facts of his case were sufficient to find him guilty of assault and battery on a disabled person and intimidation of a witness. Advertisement – Content Continues Below Yeaman was ordered to stay out of trouble for a year, perform 20 hours of community service and pay $500 in court costs. The Eagleton School closed in 2016 after the state revoked its license. Yeaman had worked there from 2013 to 2015 as program director. He was among about two-dozen employees accused of abuse at the residential treatment center for boys with emotional and behavioral problems. Source: http://wnyt.com/news/former-great-barrington-school-employee-james-yeaman-in-court-eagleton-school/4948888/?cat=10114 |
| This Is the Prison-Like Border Facility Holding Migrant Children Over a thousand minors are eating in shifts inside a former Walmart U.S. Border Patrol agents take into custody a father and son from Honduras near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12th, 2018 near Mission, Texas. Credit: John Moore/Getty Images By Ryan Bort 4 days ago More News In May, the Trump administration instituted zero-tolerance policy that called for all immigrants crossing the border illegally to be prosecuted. Because minors cannot be held in criminal custody, close to 500 children have been separated from their parents since the policy was enacted. Many of these children are infants. On Wednesday, CNN reported the story of a woman from Honduras whose daughter was taken from her as she was breastfeeding. When the mother resisted, she was put in handcuffs. Related Trump's Separation of Children and Families Is What You Voted For The shocking immigration and refugee scandal is a symptom of a much larger disease It's been difficult to understand what kind of care these children are receiving as their parents await prosecution. Earlier this month, Jeff Merkley (D-OR) traveled to Brownsville, Texas, where he attempted to enter a shelter called Casa Padre, which used to be a Walmart and is now being used to house migrant children. Merkley was turned away by Homeland Security, and the police eventually arrived to tell him he didn't have permission to even speak about the facility. On Wednesday, journalists were allowed to visit Casa Padre for the first time. MSNBC's Jacob Soboroff wrote about the hour and a half he spent inside the building, which houses around 1,500 boys between the ages of 10 and 17. He likened to a prison. "I have been inside federal prisons. I have been inside county jails. I’ve been inside detention centers of all kinds and that’s effectively what this is," Soboroff said Thursday morning on the Today show. "These kids are incarcerated," he tweeted. "They're in custody." Though cameras were not allowed inside Casa Padre, Homeland Security released some images to journalists. One of the most frightening shows a mural of a grinning Donald Trump. Next to the president's face is a quote, which appears in both English and Spanish: "Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war." Trump tweeted the quote in 2014, but it originally appeared in his book The Art of the Deal, where it was used to describe a real estate deal at Central Park South. Soboroff notes that this is only the first of several presidential murals, which are "everywhere." Before the Trump administration instituted its zero-tolerance policy, Casa Padre housed unaccompanied minors who crossed the border on their own. Now that children are being separated from their families, the facility has become overcrowded. Each room is supposed to house four children, but Soboroff notes that most sleep five. Children are forced to stay indoors 22 hours a day. They get one hour of structured outdoor time and one hour of free outdoor time a day. For their meals, children are called to eat "hundreds at a time" on rotating shifts. Soboroff notes that the meal line is what most reminds him of a prison. "Moments after we walked in a shelter employee asked us to smile at hundreds of detained migrant kids in line for a meal because 'they feel like animals in a cage being looked at,'" he tweeted. Because of the overcrowding crisis, the Trump administration on Wednesday announced that it is considering building a "tent city" to house migrant children on a military base. Despite the prison-like conditions of Casa Padre, it is a licensed child care facility run by a nonprofit staffed with trained professionals. The president of the nonprofit told Soboroff that the tent city the Trump administration has proposed would not have to be licensed. The glimpse inside Casa Padre raises questions about the kind of care children younger than 10 are receiving. What is the status of the Honduran infant who was ripped from her mother while breastfeeding? The Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration has ostensibly been in the name of curbing crime in the United States. Soboroff tweeted that officials at Casa Padre said the facility has never housed a member of MS-13. Meanwhile, the number of migrants living in Germany reached a record high last month, while the nation's crime is at a 30-year low. Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/migrant-children-border-facility-w521518 |
| Foster care provider denies putting children at risk By: Erin Debooy Posted: 06/14/2018 3:00 AM | Comments: Tweet 32 Post 799 Reddit ShareThis Print Email 1 This is 1 of 2 complimentary stories. A foster care provider in Westman is adamantly denying allegations it engaged in questionable discipline procedures, allowed children to use illegal drugs and failed to provide appropriate supervision and security to kids in care — accusations it said were made in an attempt to ruin their reputation. In a reply and defence to a counterclaim filed last month in the Brandon Court of Queen’s Bench, Jesse and Cristy Dourado, who formerly operated Specialized Foster Homes in Brandon and the surrounding area, denied the allegations filed as part of a counterclaim by Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services. The Dourados initially filed a lawsuit against DOCFS in November, suing the agency for more than $162,000 that they claimed they were out of pocket after DOCFS allegedly terminated foster parent licences, agreements and payments without warning. Both parties agree the Dourados found placements for high-risk youth and received a per diem from the agency intended to cover all care costs — including food, clothing, shelter, medication, incidentals, travel and respite care. Subscribers Log in below to continue reading, not a subscriber? Create an account to start a 60 day free trial. Log in Create your account Your free trial has come to an end. We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! Your free trial has come to an end. We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! Your free trial has come to an end. We hope you have enjoyed your trial! Because you read so much, we recommend an All Access Digital Membership: Not ready to commit? No problem! We have you covered with our no-risk and commitment-free Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ for any article you read. Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! Your free trial has come to an end. We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! Advertisement Advertise With Us A foster care provider in Westman is adamantly denying allegations it engaged in questionable discipline procedures, allowed children to use illegal drugs and failed to provide appropriate supervision and security to kids in care — accusations it said were made in an attempt to ruin their reputation. In a reply and defence to a counterclaim filed last month in the Brandon Court of Queen’s Bench, Jesse and Cristy Dourado, who formerly operated Specialized Foster Homes in Brandon and the surrounding area, denied the allegations filed as part of a counterclaim by Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services. The Dourados initially filed a lawsuit against DOCFS in November, suing the agency for more than $162,000 that they claimed they were out of pocket after DOCFS allegedly terminated foster parent licences, agreements and payments without warning. Both parties agree the Dourados found placements for high-risk youth and received a per diem from the agency intended to cover all care costs — including food, clothing, shelter, medication, incidentals, travel and respite care. The Dourados allege DOCFS breached the agreement in April 2016 by withholding 50 per cent of the per diems owed to them and revoking the licences of the foster parents shortly after, making "unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations of abuse and wrongdoing on the part of the foster parents." DOCFS claimed the deal was terminated by the Dourados when they "advised that they were no longer prepared to care for the children and would be dropping them off at the (DOCFS) Brandon office the following day," according to the statement of defence, which left them scrambling to find 21 children emergency placements on such short notice. The agency further claimed it only withheld funds when it learned the Dourados were allegedly breaching the agreement by billing for services that were not provided to children and refused to provide documentation showing how money was being spent, DOCFS’s statement said. The Dourados said DOCFS didn’t have any reporting requirements put in place as per their agreement, but they regularly reported "any and all information regarding the children," as well as monthly schedules and respite hour forms, which DOCFS seemed satisfied with. DOCFS then "imposed reporting requirements on (the Dourados) which had not previously existed" without warning, the Dourados claimed, as part of a plan to force termination of their relationship. "(DOCFS) engineered the termination of that relationship in order so that they could remove children from the care of (the Dourados) and place them with another operator in an unlicensed facility," the statement reads. Due to the per diem payments being retroactive, DOCFS’s refusal to pay for services forced the Dourados to provide care for free, they claimed, and resulted in a situation where they could no longer afford to provide care for the children. The Dourados also denied claims they failed to ensure criminal record and child abuse registry checks on foster parents and respite workers, stating they only hired individuals who applied through DOCFS to be licensed as a foster parents and therefore it was their responsibility to conduct those checks. It was also DOCFS’s responsibility to provide appropriate training, the Dourados claimed, but they failed to do so — forcing the Dourados to create their own training program. The Dourados also denied the agency’s allegations the children in their care were at risk of harm, disciplined inappropriately and allowed to engage in illegal activities, stating they abided by the Child and Family Services Act and "at all material times they acted honestly, ethically, and only in the best interest of the children." "They did not discipline children … but utilized a system of withdrawal and rewards and utilized child management techniques that were consistent with the guidelines of the standard of care of a foster parent," the statement read. The Dourados also stated that all homes were "intoxicant-free homes" and if children were found in possession of drugs or alcohol it would immediately be seized and DOCFS would be notified, as well as law enforcement if necessary. "(DOCFS) had a dual mandate, both as a guardian and the licensor of the foster parents and the homes, and pursuant to that mandate they had every right to access both the children over which they had guardianship and the homes in which those children resided … they persistently failed to exercise that mandate on a regular and consistent basis," the defence to counterclaim read. "As to the whole of the counterclaim, (the Dourados) say that the allegations therein are false, vexatious, and intended only to embarrass and disparage publicly the reputation of (the Dourados). … the allegations are not borne out of evidence." Specialized Foster Homes is no longer in operation in the area. Jesse Dourado is now the CEO of Brightscape Endeavours, a separate organization that provides group care for some of the highest at-risk youth in Manitoba. The agency’s lawyer, Dean Kropp, once again said in a written statement to The Brandon Sun it would be improper to comment while there is ongoing litigation, but that "DOCFS takes very seriously its obligation to provide care and support to the families and the children for whom they are responsible." "The actions of the DOCFS in this case were guided solely by the best interests of the children who were entrusted to their care," Kropp wrote. Neither the Dourados nor DOCFS’s allegations have been proven in court. » [email protected] Source: https://www.brandonsun.com/local/foster-care-provider-denies-putting-children-at-risk-485481331.html |
| The other missing children scandal: Thousands of lost American foster kids - The Washington Post The other missing children scandal: Thousands of lost American foster kids The system has lost track of tens of thousands of children, and state agencies simply closed their cases. by Rene Denfeld June 18 at 6:00 AM Follow renedenfeld Rene Denfeld is the author of "The Child Finder." (iStock) The public exploded in outrage at the news in April: Federal agencies had lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children. These were kids who had shown up at the border unaccompanied, most of them from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and were placed with sponsors. But the Office of Refugee Resettlement was unable to determine the current whereabouts of 1,475 of the 7,635 children who had been placed last year. Members of Congress said the children had been thrown to the wolves; they held rallies. Twitter groaned under the anger of thousands of users who expressed shock that this had been allowed to happen, many of them mistakenly noting that these kids had been taken from their parents. Later reporting clarified that these children had arrived alone at the border, and that their adult sponsors were often relatives (85 percent were placed with parents or close family members) who may have been deliberately not responding to agency attempts to contact them. Meanwhile, there are thousands of other children who are unaccounted for in this country — more than 60,000 foster children who have gone missing. Content from Cleveland Clinic This is content paid for by an advertiser and published by WP BrandStudio. The Washington Post newsroom was not involved in the creation of this content. Learn more about WP BrandStudio. "We don't have barriers between the science part of Cleveland Clinic and the clinical part. Knowledge and experience flow both ways." Read More A review of federal records by investigative reporters Eric Rasmussen and Erin Smith revealed in May that child welfare agencies throughout the country have closed the cases of at least 61,000 foster children listed as “missing” since 2000. An additional 53,000 were listed as “runaway.” Their investigation aligns with other reports of children missing from various states — 80 currently missing in Kansas, hundreds lost in Florida. Against the scandal of migrant children unaccounted for is another scandal: that our nation has lost track of so many of its own. For more than 20 years, I’ve been a foster parent. I’ve taken in babies and teenagers. I’ve opened my door to a child holding a garbage bag full of their belongings, loved children through their losses and felt my own heart blossom as they healed. Some have stayed while others have moved on. Just how did 60,000 of these children disappear? Blame a lack of federal oversight, underfunded agencies straining under almost half a million children, high caseworker turnover — in some jurisdictions, staff turnover is as high as 90 percent a year — and a chilling indifference to the plight of foster children. In Arizona and other states, children who are missing for six months are dropped from the foster care rolls. A “missing” foster child is not necessarily on the streets; some are safe with a foster family or relative, and even though the state has lost track of them, they aren’t being harmed. But the point is that the state has no idea. In one case in Illinois, workers closed the case of a 9-year-old child who had disappeared. It took investigators a year to locate her, but she was alive. In Florida, a 4-year-old girl was missing for 15 months before anyone from the Department of Children & Families noticed. Her foster parent is in prison in her killing. Lara B. Sharp, a successful writer who grew up in foster care, says that of the foster children she knew, “all went either missing or they died, mostly before age 18.” Sharp told me of three different times workers misplaced her. This happened when she was moved from one home to another, and no one updated her file. Had she been kidnapped or run away during these times, no one would have known. She would have fallen through cracks in the system so wide they are canyons. The outcome for this negligence can be deadly. Sharp recalls a girl she lived with named Jennifer, who had lost her parent in a car accident. When she was 15, Jennifer went missing. She ended up sex trafficked and murdered. “She was a lovely, kind, clever, sheltered little girl,” Sharp says. “She loved the Bronte sisters and ‘The Brady Bunch.’ I will never forget her.” But our government has forgotten thousands of children like Jennifer. No one seems to know where these children are or how they vanished. (One Kansas state lawmaker said she was “flabbergasted” when she asked the Department for Children and Families for information on the disappearance of three sisters from foster care, and the agency knew nothing.) In many cases, they are assumed to be runaways. In Texas last year, 1,700 foster children were declared runaways. Of these, 245 are currently missing. And they are at profound risk. “Most of the children who are being bought and sold for sex in our nation are foster care children,” human rights attorney Malika Saada Saar writes. “Our very broken foster care system has become a supply chain to traffickers.” In one of many examples, a national FBI raid to recover child sex-trafficking victims found that 60 percent of the children came from foster care. According to Rasmussen and Smith’s reporting, a 15-year-old girl who was missing from foster care in New York turned up at a Boston nonprofit for homeless kids, seeking help. Workers determined that she had been put in a prostitution ring. I asked human rights worker Quintan Wikswo why the recent case of missing immigrant children sparked outrage, but thousands of vanished foster children have not. “It’s easier for partisan politics to use the immigrant children disappearances as fuel for whatever case they want to make,” Wikswo says. “But it is far more unpopular for folks to look into their own communities, to get involved in their own local judicial and law enforcement elections and ask for documentation that their representatives are prioritizing the foster network.” Sharp agrees, adding that negative stereotypes of foster youth make it hard for the public to relate. “I’m now a happily married adult, a Smith College graduate and someone who has always chosen to abstain from all drugs and alcohol,” she says. “But our entertainment industry has a propensity to portray foster youth as criminals.” My foster children are just as funny, silly, hopeful, smart and lovable as any other kids. It is not their fault they are in foster care — they are the victims of societal failures. Children enter foster care because their parents are experiencing poverty, incarceration, deportation or facing addictions or mental health struggles. They — and their birth families — deserve to know that their time in the system will be safe. And no child should fear that if they go missing, no one will try to find them. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/06/18/the-other-missing-children-scandal-thousands-of-lost-american-foster-kids/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.68996ac9e95e |
| Migrant Children Drugged Without Consent At Government Centers, Court Documents Show The allegations center on a mental health facility in Texas that has had problems in the past. By Roque Planas X Content loading ADVERTISEMENT Download Subscribe to the Politics email. How will Trump's administration impact you? Staff working on the behalf of the Office of Refugee Resettlement are routinely drugging detained child migrants with psychotropics without their parents’ consent, according to legal filings. Trump administration officials have repeatedly insisted that the family separation policy they implemented over the last six weeks is humane. But the ongoing lawsuit over the Flores agreement, a 1997 settlement that partly governs the detention of child migrants that the White House hopes to overturn, alleges a litany of wrongdoings at the ORR-contracted facilities. The drugging allegations are among the most disturbing. One child cited in the lawsuit reported taking up to nine pills in the morning and another seven in the evening, without knowing what the medication was. “ORR routinely administers children psychotropic drugs without lawful authorization,” a memo filed in the lawsuit on April 16 reads. “When youth object to taking such medications, ORR compels them. ORR neither requires nor asks for a parent’s consent before medicating a child, nor does it seek lawful authority to consent in parents’ stead. Instead, ORR or facility staff sign ‘consent’ forms anointing themselves with ‘authority’ to administer psychotropic drugs to confined children.” Loren Elliott / Reuters Among the most disturbing are the accusations that staff at federally contracted facilities gave children five different types of psychotropic medications without informing their parents. Most of the allegations center on Shiloh Residential Treatment Center, in Manvel, Texas. But lawyers in the Flores case, who have access to the medical records of their clients, say the problem is widespread. “It’s not specific to Shiloh,” Holly Cooper, one of the lawyers representing children in the Flores agreement litigation, said of the drugging allegations. The attorneys have seen the use of psychotropic medications at all facilities where the federal government holds unaccompanied minors but noted that the only cases of forced injections they documented occurred at Shiloh. One child, identified in court records as Julio Z., said staff at Shiloh threw him to the floor and forced him to take medication. He said he witnessed staff pry another child’s mouth open to force him to swallow a pill. When Julio Z. attempted to refuse the medication, he said the doctor ignored him. “They told me that if I did not take the medicine I could not leave,” Julio Z. said, according to the court records. “That the only way I could get out of Shiloh was if I took the pills.” “Sometimes they give me forced injections,” another child, identified as Rosa L., said. “One or two staff hold my arms, and the nurse gives me an injection.” The medications often come with severe side effects. Julio Z. reported gaining 45 pounds in a matter of two months. A mother of a child identified in court records as Isabella M. said the medications were so powerful that her daughter repeatedly fell because she couldn’t walk. Shiloh Residential Treatment Center declined to comment on the allegations, referring HuffPost to ORR. The agency did not immediately respond to calls or emails requesting comment. ORR typically releases unaccompanied minors to a sponsor after taking charge of them ― usually a parent or relative. But at any given time in recent years, more than 200 of the children remain in federal custody either because ORR could not locate a sponsor or because the agency chooses to put the children into secured facilities or residential treatment centers. Children might wind up in residential treatment centers because of either behavioral issues or mental health problems. Some of them suffer from severe trauma or psychiatric disorders requiring medical attention, including problems like post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychotropics may, in fact, be valid responses to those problems, the lawyers in the Flores case wrote in the memo. But the lawyers also contend that issuing such powerful medications without parental consent violates Texas state law, the terms of the Flores agreement and “common decency.” And the conditions of detention likely exacerbate the mental health problems that migrant children suffer from, according to University of Texas Dean of Social Work, Luis Zayas, who has interviewed dozens of children at family detention centers. He doubted that most kids would need medication but added that it might be warranted after a thorough psychological and pediatric assessment ― and ideally in consultation with the parents. But he noted that both prisons and residential treatment centers have historically used psychotropics to control people’s behavior. “It is truly a sad situation that our government and the agencies that they contract with to take these children have resorted to this,” Zayas told HuffPost. Zayas identified the seven pills named in the court filings ― Clonazepam, Duloxetine, Guanfacine, Geodon, Olanzapine, Latuda and Divalproex ― as medications used to control depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, mood disorders, schizophrenia and seizures. The injected medications were not identified in court records. Lorilei Williams, an attorney who worked with more than a dozen children locked up at Shiloh, said her clients routinely received medication without parental consent and often without the children themselves knowing why. The children she worked with often appeared subdued and suffered “immense weight gain in a very short period of time,” she said. “I suspected they were being medicated to make them more subdued and more controlled,” Williams told HuffPost, though she noted she could not prove an ulterior motive. “It wasn’t something that was really part of my job ― to look at the medications and whether they should be on them, because as an attorney, I have no background on that.” Instead, she focused on securing the children’s release. But ORR’s system for letting children out of residential treatment centers or secured facilities is often opaque, according to several lawyers who’ve represented unaccompanied minors in federal custody. Williams submitted an affidavit to the judge presiding over the Flores lawsuit, which documented one incident involving a 9-year-old Salvadoran child that Border Patrol apprehended in 2011. Two weeks later, ORR sent the child to Shiloh. The boy suffered from PTSD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder. His psychiatric problems stemmed partly from a horrifically troubled youth ― he was sexually abused in El Salvador as a young child, then abandoned by his extended family and left living on the streets for a year before he came to the United States. Despite the fact that his parents, who lived a few hours away in Dallas, had wanted to take custody of him, ORR refused to release him without explaining why. After a year and a half detained at Shiloh, the agency suddenly released him, again without explanation. Lawyers like Williams who want to challenge ORR’s opaque determinations have little recourse because their legal work is funded by ORR itself, which is required by federal law to provide legal services to the children in its custody. The agency disburses money to the Vera Institute, which in turn subcontracts with a network of roughly three dozen legal providers. But three attorneys, including Williams, submitted affidavits to the court saying legal aid groups discouraged them from filing habeas challenges against ORR to win release for their clients. The groups allegedly feared it could jeopardize the funding they needed to represent children. “There was always this looming threat that if you did too much against ORR you would lose your funding, and you wouldn’t have access to the children at all,” Williams said. Shiloh Residential Treatment Center has come under fire in the past for allegations of serious misconduct, including forcible medication and unwarranted use of physical restraints ― a problem that Williams said children housed there also complained of. In 2011, state regulators shut down another residential treatment center that businessman and Shiloh President Clay Dean Hill owned after a child died while restrained in a closet, according to a 2014 investigation by the Houston Chronicle. Two other children died in centers established by Hill after they were restrained, according to a Reveal investigation. The report found that ORR-contracted shelters had serious records of wrongdoing ― including sexual and physical abuse. However, over the last four years, they continued to receive a total of $1.5 billion to house child migrants. The Chronicle piece also described the forced injections of psychotropic drugs, echoing the allegations in the Flores lawsuit. ORR had exempted Shiloh from its normal requirement to document when they administer emergency medicine, including injections, according to the Chronicle. ORR did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request asking if the exemption remains in effect. After the article, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) called on the state of Texas to shut down Shiloh. “At a minimum, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should terminate immediately the contract awarded to Shiloh Treatment Center to provide shelter and treatment to unaccompanied children apprehended by the Border Patrol,” Jackson wrote in a 2014 statement. But the for-profit shelter has continued to function and still houses child migrants. Shiloh had 20 unaccompanied minors in its care as of May, according to the Texas Tribune. Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/migrant-children-drugged-without-parental-consent-at-government-institutions-court-documents-show_us_5b2a9e87e4b0321a01cd4dd3 |
| Handcuffs, assaults, and drugs called 'vitamins': Children allege grave abuse at migrant detention facilities Posted: Jun 21, 2018 6:02 PM PDT Updated: Jun 21, 2018 6:02 PM PDT By Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken, and Bob Ortega CNN Investigates (CNN) -- A year before the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy resulted in more than 2,300 children being separated from their families at the border in a mere five-week period, a ninth-grader in McAllen, Texas, was taken from his mother. He was riding in a car with friends last spring when the car was pulled over. The teenager, brought illegally to the country by his mother as a baby, was unable to show identification. Police called immigration officials, who arrested the boy and sent him to a shelter for unaccompanied migrant children. John Doe 2, as he is referred to in current legal filings challenging his detainment, became one of thousands caught in a network of shelters and higher-security facilities that house undocumented minors, now gaining attention as newly separated children have been streaming in. Immigration attorneys working directly with migrant children say some of these facilities provide the best care they can,?given?the circumstances. And a huge shelter in Brownsville, Texas, which opened its doors for a media tour last week, appeared to be clean and well-staffed at the time. But John Doe 2 landed in a far more troubled corner of the system, according to a first-person sworn declaration in a current legal motion against the federal government for unlawful and inappropriate detainment of children. His account is one of dozens describing overloaded and secretive shelters, treatment centers and secure detention facilities for undocumented minors, which at their worst have allegedly been home to neglect, assault and other horrific abuse. The allegations in these documents, as well as recent facility inspection reports and other lawsuits, range from unsanitary conditions and invasive monitoring of mail and phone calls to unair-conditioned rooms in hot Texas summers and dosing children with cocktails of psychotropic drugs disguised as vitamins. At one facility, children recounted being held down for forcible injections, which medical records show are powerful antipsychotics and sedatives. This is the system the children who have been separated from their parents are entering. And, even after the executive order Donald Trump signed on Wednesday, presented as a way to end the separation of migrant families, it is the system in which the children already separated and thousands of other undocumented children currently remain. "There seems to be a level of cruel intent I've never seen before and a real indifference to the well-being of a child," said Holly Cooper, one of the many attorneys challenging the government's detainment of minors. Cooper regularly visits facilities and represents a number of migrant children as co-director of the Immigration Law Clinic at University of California, Davis. The Office of Refugee Resettlement did not respond to repeated requests for information, and a spokesperson said the agency can't comment on ongoing litigation. But in a press call, officials said that shelters are run by organizations that meet state licensing standards and are staffed by people who are well-equipped to meet the needs of children in their care. The agency also said it is ready to expand capacity as needed to meet the growing demand. John Doe 2 tells another side of the story. When he tried to run away from the first shelter he was placed in after two months and began acting out, including harming himself and getting into fights, he said he was moved twice -- ending up at a public regional detention center in Virginia, Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center, intended for some of the most dangerous young migrant detainees. He claims his case manager told him he was transferred there because of "behavioral issues." That assertion is backed up by legal filings from the facility, which say he had been diagnosed with conditions including ADHD, anxiety and intermittent explosive disorder. His arrival there marked the last time he would breathe fresh air for months, the teenager said in a sworn legal statement in January. He was so upset about being there that he talked back and lashed out at staff, who he said he heard degrading him and other Hispanic children in English, not realizing that he could understand. His defiance led them to hurt and restrain him, he said. "They will grab my hands and put them behind my back so I can't move. Sometimes they will use pens to poke me in the ribs, sometimes they grab my jaw with their hands," he said in his declaration. "They are bigger than me. Sometimes there will be three or four of them using force against me at the same time. The force used by staff has left bruises on my wrists, on my ribs, and on my shoulder. The doctor here gave me ibuprofen for the pain." At this same facility, he said, he was sometimes kept in handcuffs and then tied to a chair with a restraint placed over his face with holes so he could breathe. This punishment was described in at least five other declarations from children, including one who said he was left naked, strapped to the chair for more than two days. In court documents, Shenandoah denied any assault of residents, but it acknowledged that staffers use confinement and restraints when residents fight one another or staff, and it said it uses an "emergency restraint chair" as a last resort for aggressive behavior. "When the emergency chair is utilized, residents are restrained by their arms, legs, and torso, and a spit mask is placed on the resident to prevent staff from being spit upon or bitten," the facility stated. In a statement to CNN, the organization said, "Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center believes the allegations of the complaint to be without merit and looks forward to the opportunity to present evidence that will allow a jury to reach the same conclusion." John Doe 2 was still in Shenandoah as recently as January, when he gave his declaration. "I'm frustrated about being locked up and I miss my family," he said. On Thursday, in response to the allegations, Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia announced an investigation of the Shenandoah facility. The US government doles out around $1 billion to nonprofits and local government agencies each year to house and provide services for detained migrant children, in facilities that range from the repurposed Walmart in Brownsville, Texas, that CNN visited last week to juvenile detention centers. The facilities where they are held are often opaque, not publicizing their locations and blocking journalists or lawmakers from viewing the conditions. Some children in the system crossed the border alone, often fleeing violence in their home countries. Others arrived with their families and were separated, even before the new policy. Still others, like John Doe 2, have lived in the United States for years but lack citizenship. Regardless of their origins, they all enter the same system. Immigration attorneys are battling the federal government over the conditions in these facilities, arguing that a high-profile settlement reached in 1997 that dictates how children are treated within the system, known as the Flores agreement, has not been upheld. Some of the allegations precede the Trump administration. Recent filings contain hundreds of pages of firsthand statements detailing abuses from children, medical records, intake paperwork, as well as internal correspondence and debate between attorneys and the federal government. Another, separate class action lawsuit filed in federal court last fall accuses Shenandoah of "unconstitutional conditions that shock the conscience," a claim Shenandoah denies. Currently, nearly 11,800 children are housed in more than 100 facilities across 17 different states, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is required to take custody of the children within 72 hours of their initial detainment by immigration authorities. With many of these already operating at capacity, the government has been scrambling to find additional beds for children. It is unclear how many children are currently housed in facilities more restrictive than shelters, but ORR data cited in court filings shows that such facilities received more than 800 admissions in fiscal year 2017. Experts opposing the child-separation policy, including the American Medical Association and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, say that even briefly separating and detaining children has been shown to cause long-lasting harm to them. But at some of these shelters and other facilities, the harm to these children goes far beyond the mere fact of being detained in the first place. Some of the least restrictive facilities have been cited by regulators for problems -- including those run by Southwest Key Programs and BCFS Health and Human Services, two of the largest government grant recipients. And when trauma may cause kids to act out, children can promptly be moved or "stepped up" to more restrictive facilities, where children and their attorneys say they are treated like prisoners. Ultimately, their fate may depend on the facility where the US government decides to place them. In shelter system, hundreds of 'deficiencies' Though the worst abuses in the immigrant child detention system have been alleged in higher-security facilities, even the shelters where children begin their stays have seen allegations of neglect, assault, verbal abuse and missing background checks for staff, in a system that is increasingly straining at its seams. Take, for example, the 26 shelters and higher-security facilities run in Arizona, California and Texas by Austin-based Southwest Key Programs, the largest ORR shelter contractor. This nonprofit has received more than $955 million in federal funding over the past three fiscal years, according to online government spending data. Company CEO and President Juan Sanchez made at least $1.5 million in 2016, according to government filings. That would put him among the five highest-paid nonprofit CEOs in the country that year, according to Charity Watch. As recently as early 2017, Southwest Key shelters were mostly under capacity -- enough so that the company laid off workers and closed some shelters in mid-2017. But most of Southwest Key's 16 Texas shelters now operate under month-to-month variances granted by the state to let them hold up to 150% of their original licensed capacity, including the Casa Padre shelter in Brownsville that CNN visited last week. Those variances have come even as state inspectors have found more than 246 "deficiencies" at Southwest Key's facilities over the past three years. State reports cite at least three cases of under-supervised children harming themselves, including one with plastic cutlery and one by drinking rubbing alcohol. They have cited staff for drunkenness; shoving, using other physical force and belittling children; for keeping kids in unair-conditioned rooms in mid-July at a shelter in El Paso; and in one case for having an "inappropriate relationship" with a child. In one case in a San Benito shelter, "Staff did not take child to the bathroom when he requested and consequently child urinated on himself during class time." Twenty-three citations involved improper medical treatment. Inspectors cited Southwest Key for giving kids the wrong medications; for failing to give them prescribed medications; for withholding medical care -- for example, making a child with a fractured wrist at the El Presidente shelter in Brownsville wait three days before seeing a doctor -- or inappropriate care, such as vaccinating a pregnant teen at the same shelter. In all three years, Texas cited Southwest Key for failing to get timely background checks on staffers. In California and Arizona, shelters are inspected much less frequently. Arizona, which has eight open Southwest Key facilities and three that have been closed, generally only inspects accredited Southwest Key or other ORR-contracted shelters in that state when it receives a complaint, said Arizona Department of Health Services spokeswoman Nicole Capone. One citation of four recorded in that state since 2015 was for improperly restraining children. One former Southwest Key employee in that state called the lack of supervision problematic. "The whole time I worked at Estrella del Norte, I saw maybe one person from ORR," and no one from Arizona's oversight agencies, said Antar Davidson, who spent four months as a youth care worker at Southwest Key's shelter in Tucson. He quit on June 12, because, he said, he thought the way Southwest Key operated "was very damaging to the children." He has been outspoken about his experience in the last week since going public in the Los Angeles Times about his concerns, including that low-paid, high-turnover staff was not well equipped to handle the recent surge in distressed children newly separated from their parents. Southwest Key's communications director, Cindy Casares, said all employees receive at least 80 hours of classroom and on-the-job training. She said the company takes deficiencies seriously, carries out internal investigations, and disciplines, fires or retrains employees who violate policy. "Whenever there is a finding of any kind, a corrective action plan is developed and submitted to licensing and implemented in the programs," she said. Other ORR shelter contractors have a history of violations as well. State officials who inspected shelters operated by San Antonio-based BCFS Health and Human Services cited that nonprofit in 2016 for housing children in substandard conditions that included moldy carpets, rusty bathrooms and exposed nails in a bed. Staff were accused of inappropriate relationships with children in care; of using physical force and, in one case, an employee was found to have kept money sent to a child. This nonprofit will receive roughly $127 million in this fiscal year, according to online government spending data. BCFS could not be reached by phone, and a press release on its website referred all media inquiries to the federal government. A nonprofit in Virginia, Youth for Tomorrow, has been the subject of state violations at a facility where it hosts migrant children, including findings that the facility hired people without the required education and experience, failed to conduct background checks, and didn't adequately supervise the children in its care. In one case in 2013, a facility neglected to call authorities when a staff member physically restrained a resident; the resident said he was hurt so badly that he couldn't swallow. In a statement to CNN, Youth for Tomorrow said the organization is in compliance with all state regulations and that the citations were "singular events" that "were satisfactorily resolved in a timely and appropriate manner" as required by regulators. Another nonprofit operator, KidsPeace, has recently been cited by Pennsylvania regulators for its shelters' failure to include crucial information in children's medical records (such as attempted suicide), inappropriate monitoring of phone calls and mail to and from children and inadequate abuse training. KidsPeace said in a statement that it strictly adheres to state laws and that its mission is to "provide hope, help and healing to children in need of care, including those placed with us by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement." Alleged restraints, assaults and pills known as 'vitamins' The vast majority of unaccompanied children are held in shelters, but for the hundreds that are escalated to more secure facilities, conditions can be far worse. It can also become even harder to get out. These places include residential treatment centers for those with severe psychiatric or psychological issues and risk of self-harm, "staff secure facilities" for children who require close supervision, and secure facilities for those who pose a danger to themselves or others or have been charged with committing a crime. The government says these are a last resort intended to meet the specialized needs of the children and protect others in shelter care. But attorneys suing the federal government argue that many of these children have been moved to these facilities without "the most rudimentary procedural fairness or transparency," which the government denies. Some kids, they assert, should not have been placed in these facilities in the first place. And attorneys say those who do have documented behavioral issues, which are common given the trauma that many of these children have experienced, are only seeing their problems exacerbated by the conditions they endure in these higher-level detention centers. "While all detainees (adults as well as children) should be treated with dignity and respect, this is especially critical for children and youth because of their inherent vulnerabilities," Gregory Lewis, a psychologist who reviewed the declarations of a number of youth held at Shenandoah, including the Texas teenager, stated in a legal filing. "It is likely that many of these detained youth will never fully recover from their traumatic experiences prior to and during detention." In the first-person accounts reviewed by CNN, children describe being moved from facility to facility all over the country, often by plane, after being deemed unfit to remain in the shelter where they were originally placed. In multiple declarations, youths describe being awoken in the middle of the night only to end up transported to a new facility -- with no explanation of why they are being moved or opportunity to fight their new placement. And once they are placed in these secure facilities, attorneys say it becomes increasingly difficult to reunite them with family, because their release is contingent on a number of requirements and high-level approvals. One of the places some of the most troubled children are being sent is the nonprofit Shiloh Treatment Center, located on a rural patch of land in Manvel, Texas. Shiloh has been the subject of controversy for years, with the founder being forced to close a separate facility, Daystar Residential Treatment Center, after a troubling history of abuse and deaths, culminating in a child dying in what was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation due to physical restraint. A local congresswoman called for Shiloh's closure four years ago after the Houston Chronicle documented years of abuse there, yet the government continues to pay millions to the organization. Children held at Shiloh have recounted in their legal declarations being held down for injections of drugs to calm them. A 13-year-old from El Salvador described an incident when, after he tried to run away, he was assaulted by staff -- causing him to faint and leaving him with bruises. Then, despite his objections, he was given an injection of a drug "to calm me down." "Before they gave me the injection, I was feeling dizzy and was still having a hard time breathing. I was in a lot of pain with bruises all over, and I did not want the injection," he said. Many also say they were forced to take pills that staffers called "vitamins," which they say were given to them without their or their parents' consent. Medical records filed as evidence show children were being injected with sedatives and antipsychotics, and that many of the pills they were given were powerful and sometimes addictive psychotropic medications. An 11-year-old referred to as Maricela in court records said she was taking 10 pills a day, in a statement from late last year, and that she didn't know what they were for. "When I take medicine, I do not have any mood," she said in Spanish. "It is disgusting. I do not like being on this many medications and I have suffered side effects including headaches, loss of appetite and nausea." She said she was afraid to refuse the medication, knowing that her stay at Shiloh could be extended. And she described living in constant fear of staff members after being pulled forcefully out of a bathroom and witnessing them pinning other residents down to receive injections. "Today, one of the girls was upset and someone was trying to calm her down but then the teacher said don't talk to her, just give her a shot," she said. She had become so sad at Shiloh that she wanted to cut herself, she added, but she hadn't learned how to do it yet. "I do not feel safe here," said Maricela, who has been moved to an unknown facility but remains detained, according to a nonprofit law firm involved with the Flores motion. "I would rather go back to Honduras and live on the streets than be at Shiloh." Shiloh, which is licensed to accept children as young as 3 years old and is on track to take in more than $25 million in funding between the 2014 and 2018 fiscal years, according to current government data online, referred CNN to the US government, which wouldn't comment either. A government letter the plaintiffs filed as evidence shows that as of April, 26 children were being housed at Shiloh through the ORR program. In a legal response to the allegations of inappropriate drugging and abuse, officials said the state of Texas carefully monitors the facility for compliance with state laws and guidelines, including those governing the use of prescription medications; that the facility psychiatrists strive to use no more than four psychotropic medications at once; and that consent is required except in emergency situations, when the youth could harm themselves or others. At Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center, the facility in western Virginia where the Texas teen described being tied to a chair, other teenagers describe being violently restrained, beaten, and discriminated against for being Latino. The facility is facing a class action lawsuit alleging verbal and physical abuse, substandard care, excessive use of solitary confinement and other deficient conditions that result in suffering and even death.? In declarations about their experiences filed in both the class action and the Flores motion, detainees reported being stabbed with a pen, kept in handcuffs, taunted by staff and being deprived of clothing and mattresses. Shenandoah, which government data shows will have received nearly $20 million in funding between the 2014 and 2018 fiscal years, denied the assault of residents in legal filings and said that punitive measures were only used in extreme situations. Another former detainee -- who spent around three years in ORR custody, including about a year at Shenandoah -- remembered the restraint chair described by the Texas teen. "(Y)ou feel suffocated with the bag on," he said. "(T)hey don't do it in a nice way. They don't explain what they are doing: they just grab the left side of your head and they force it over you. You can't move to resist. The first thing that came to my head when they put it on me was, 'They are going to suffocate me. They are going to kill me.'" As another child, this one a 15-year-old from Honduras who described being repeatedly assaulted by staff at Shenandoah, plainly stated: "I want us to be treated as human beings." Teenagers in the Flores documents described other forms of mistreatment across the country in California at Yolo County Juvenile Detention Facility, another secure facility paid by the government to house migrant children. Multiple youth discuss the use of pepper spray, with one teen saying he had been sprayed seven times in his eyes. One teenager, who fled Guatemala to escape an abusive father and forced child labor, had been in federal custody for almost two years when he gave a sworn declaration in November from Yolo, which he described as "a juvenile jail where we are kept in cells, forced to wear uniforms and treated like criminals." "The detention center makes me feel like an animal," said the teen. "The conditions at the detention center are terrible." The government, in a letter filed as evidence, said the teenager had psychiatric and behavioral issues. The facility's own chief probation officer, Brent Cardall, told the Yolo County Board of Supervisors that the detention center could not meet the mental health needs of many of the migrant teens and previously stated in court filings that the government had often failed to provide any corroboration of gang affiliation of some of the supposed gang members sent there. In April, Cardall proposed ending the program for unaccompanied children altogether, saying "it would be in the best interest of the county to terminate this federal contract and end the program." The county supervisors instead voted to discuss reducing the number of migrant children accepted into the facility and requiring youth to have documented reasons for being there.? Yolo, which received more than $6 million in government funding between fiscal years 2014 and 2017, is on track to bring in more than $5 million for the 2018 fiscal year, according to online government data. The county said in a statement to CNN that in the 10 years it has worked with ORR, it has provided all youth with "the care and services they need," though staff are negotiating an increase in funding to meet the teens' needs. County officials also said they are "gravely disturbed" by the forcible separation of families, that no newly separated children have been placed there, and that the county has the ability to reject the placement of youth in its facility if officials don't believe they belong there -- which they have done in the past. "The county does not, and has no interest in, operating a de facto federal prison for forcibly separated youth," the statement said. While the conditions and alleged abuse at Shiloh, Yolo and Shenandoah dominate many of these first-person accounts, allegations of mistreatment and prolonged detention at other "stepped-up" facilities have surfaced as well. These have included taunting and physical abuse by staff, punishing children who refuse to take their medication, and claiming complaints about treatment could jeopardize a child's immigration status. One Honduran teenager, identified as Roberto F., described employees at a "staff secure" Southwest Key facility in Brownsville insulting him and other residents. "There, too, I watched as they grabbed the minors brutally, throwing them to the ground," he said in his statement. Casares, Southwest Key's director of communications, said in an email that "Southwest Key has a no tolerance policy on abuse," and that any program director aware of such allegations would be required to suspend the employee and report them to the state, to law enforcement and to ORR. How separated children are joining a troubled system Government officials have given inconsistent accounts of the precise number of children split from their families since the start of the zero-tolerance policy was announced on May 7. Border Patrol spokesman Brian Hastings said that between May 5 and June 9, agents separated 2,342 children from parents who crossed illegally. That doesn't include minors arriving unaccompanied or minors who arrived at ports of entry with parents seeking asylum. Though government officials have denied they split up families there, the American Civil Liberties Union is suing Homeland Security on behalf of several asylum seekers whose children were taken after they presented themselves legally at ports of entry. During a tour for reporters of the Casa Padre shelter on June 13, Southwest Key CEO and president Juan Sanchez said that less than 30% of the almost 1,500 boys there, ages 10 to 17, had been separated. On June 19, a Southwest Key spokeswoman said about 10% of the children in its 26 shelters had been separated from their parents. Martin Hinojosa, Southwest Key's director of compliance, noted that the proportion of children separated from their parents is rising. It's still unclear what the implications will be of Trump's new executive order, in which the President continued to blame Congress for his own administration's recent move to separate families. The executive order declares a goal "to detain alien families together throughout the pendency of criminal proceedings for improper entry or any removal or other immigration proceedings." It also declared that the attorney general should prioritize immigration proceedings for detained families. The Office of Refugee Resettlement didn't respond to multiple requests for comment or for information about where the children taken from their parents so far are now being placed. But attorneys and advocates say they believe it's only a matter of time before some of these newly separated children wind up being moved to some of the higher-security detention and treatment facilities with the worst conditions -- exposing them to more harm and making it harder for them to reunite with their parents. "That's a significant concern that we have," said Nithya Nathan-Pineau, director of the Detained Children's Program at the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition. It's only natural for kids in prolonged detention -- and ones who have been separated from their families after harrowing journeys from dangerous homelands -- to have emotional or behavioral challenges, she pointed out. On the June 13 tour of the massive Casa Padre shelter, Southwest Key's Hinojosa said staffers there move quickly to send boys who demonstrate troublesome behavioral or mental-health issues to higher-security facilities. "Not a lot of the children detained in El Paso remain in El Paso," said Melissa Lopez, executive director of Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services in El Paso, Texas. She has dealt with cases of children who she says were wrongly labeled as gang members. Lawyers say such children are often targeted for higher-security placement. "They often make allegations with little or no proof. They don't have to tell us on what basis the finding was made. ... Our clients don't speak English. They don't understand what's going on. When a child is incorrectly flagged as a gang member, there are serious repercussions for the child and added difficulty for us, as practitioners, in figuring out on what basis the finding was made," she said. Elissa Steglich, a clinical professor at the University of Texas Immigration Clinic in Austin, said she's seen increasing numbers of children being taken from parents at the border in recent months, and that in almost all cases, "there's no child-welfare rationale to support it." By separating children needlessly and placing them into a system that can add to the harms they're experiencing, she said, "We've ensured there will be lifelong damage to these children." Do you have anything to share about facilities holding migrant children? Email us: [email protected]. CNN's Lisa Rose contributed to this report. Source: http://www.kpax.com/story/38482146/handcuffs-assaults-and-drugs-called-vitamins-children-allege-grave-abuse-at-migrant-detention-facilities |
| Employee at group home for disabled allegedly assaulted resident in fight over cheeseburger By: Stephanie Staudinger Posted: Jun 22, 2018 3:08 PM CDT facebook twitter email RACINE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- An employee at a group for disabled residents has been arrested after police say she assaulted a resident in May. Canei Brown, 19, is facing charges of Intentionally Abusing Patients Causing Bodily Harm and Disorderly Conduct. According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched to the group home located in the 1600 block of Erie Street in reference to an assault on May 30. Officers spoke with the supervisor who said that he noticed a resident had a black eye and some small lacerations around the same eye and on his nose. The supervisor said that the resident received the injuries sometime overnight. Brown was the only third shift employee working when the resident was injured, the supervisor said. Police spoke with the resident who said that he ate a hamburger that must have been Brown's hamburger because she got mad and "punched me a lot of times." The resident also said, "Canei she whooped my a**; she's very strong; over a cheeseburger." Source: https://www.cbs58.com/news/employee-at-group-home-for-disabled-residents-allegedly-assaulted-patient-in-fight-over-cheeseburger |
| Doctor giving migrant kids psychotropic drugs lost certification years ago Share Topics: Immigration / Kids on the Line Categories: Dig By Aura Bogado / June 25, 2018 The psychiatrist who has been prescribing powerful psychotropic medications to immigrant children at a federally funded residential treatment center in Texas has practiced without board certification to treat children and adolescents for nearly a decade, records show. Immigrant children forcibly injected with drugs, lawsuit claims Migrant children sent to shelters with histories of abuse allegations Ripped apart: Families separated at the border On the Texas Medical Board’s website, though, Dr. Javier Ruíz-Nazario reported he had that specialized certification for treating children and adolescents. However, according to the website, he has not yet updated the board on the status of this board certification as required by its rules. Ruíz-Nazario’s name appears on various court documents that allege troubling practices at the Shiloh Treatment Center south of Houston, including affidavits in class-action settlement motions in which children claim they were tackled and injected and forced to take pills identified as vitamins that made them dizzy and drowsy. Many of the records specifically name Ruíz-Nazario as the doctor who prescribed the medication. Don't miss the next big story. Brave investigations that change minds, laws and lives. Emailed directly to you. The treatment center is operated by one of at least a dozen government contractors with turbulent histories that house children detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. To become board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, doctors must prove they can perform an age-appropriate psychiatric interview, among other things, and pass an exam. Maintaining certification requires continuing education and a new exam. The federal government no longer requires psychiatrists who treat children in Office of Refugee Resettlement-contracted shelters to be board certified. However, federal officials have told a federal judge that drugs are prescribed to children at Shiloh by a psychiatrist who is board certified to treat them, according to records reviewed by Reveal. A congressman from Texas, Rep. Pete Olson, called Monday for Shiloh’s closure after learning about children being drugged with psychotropic medications there. Olson’s statement, provided to Reveal, also referred to reports of serious issues at facilities linked to Shiloh stretching back years, as reported by the Houston Chronicle and other news outlets in the state. “In light of this facility’s troubling history and current accusations, I recommend the closure of this facility and the removal of these children to a safer location until these accusations can be properly addressed. I have been in contact with local and state officials and stand ready to work with them to develop a safe resolution to protect these children. Regardless of where they come from, no child should be placed in physical danger,” said Olson, a Republican elected to Congress in 2009. “Enough is enough. Since I have been in Congress, every time an issue arises concerning Shiloh’s poor care of undocumented children, Shiloh puts up a brick wall. Transparency and information is always put under lock and key. When I knocked on their door a few years ago, I was handed a slip of paper with a telephone number in Washington, D.C., to call to find out what is happening at Shiloh. With new allegations, the people of Texas (Congressional District) 22 are beyond their limits.” Olson said troubling reports from Shiloh “have been leaking out for years.” “While I was not made aware of recent incidents until the media reported the alleged abuses, the details outlined in the lawsuit are very disturbing. Any facility in charge of the safety and well-being of children has a special responsibility to go above and beyond when caring for them.” Dr. Bandy X. Lee, a forensic psychiatrist at the Yale School of Medicine, told Reveal that Ruíz-Nazario’s lack of certification says something about Shiloh. “Highly reputable facilities require board certification, less reputable don’t require it,” Lee said. Neither officials from Shiloh nor Ruíz-Nazario returned calls seeking comment. Shiloh is categorized as a residential treatment center by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, gaining its first contract to house unaccompanied immigrant minors in 2013. Although the resettlement office previously had required board certification for grant applicants as part of a “culturally competent interdisciplinary team,” months before Shiloh received its first payment, the agency dropped that requirement. In a letter to attorneys in a lawsuit, dated April 2, 2018, an official with the federal resettlement agency makes three references to a “board certified” psychiatrist working at Shiloh. The federal Flores settlement, stemming from a lawsuit first filed in 1997, places certain requirements on the federal government regarding detention and treatment of unaccompanied immigrant children. Attorneys representing immigrant children filed motions in the case in April, asking a federal judge to halt the “continuum of trauma” that includes forcing children to take psychotropic medication at Shiloh. “It is Shiloh’s policy that, in addition to monthly reviews of all their medication orders, on at least a quarterly basis, the board certified child and adolescent psychiatrists who contract with Shiloh to provide psychiatric care for (unaccompanied immigrant children and other residents) review current prescriptions of psychotropic medications,” states the letter sent to Flores counsel by James S. De La Cruz, senior federal field specialist supervisor with the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s division of children’s services. When reached by phone, De La Cruz said he couldn’t comment and encouraged Reveal to send an email for response. Neither De La Cruz nor the resettlement agency responded by deadline. More than 2,000 of the 12,000 children held in these shelters across the nation were deemed “unaccompanied” during the past two months after being separated from their parents under President Donald Trump’s family separation policy. The Shiloh facility is licensed to house up to 44 children in a collection of trailers and small buildings near Manvel, Texas. Records obtained by Reveal indicate that up to 32 of them can be immigrant children. Ruíz-Nazario’s name appears on multiple medical records reviewed by Reveal in connection with a now-10-year-old boy medicated at Shiloh for nearly six months, ending in April. His mother says she never gave consent for her son to be medicated. Maribel Bernardez’s 10-year-old son, pictured outside of his home near New Orleans, spent six months in a troubled Texas facility, the Shiloh Treatment Center. Medical records show the boy was administered psychotropic drugs during his stay at Shiloh between November and April. She told Reveal that she repeatedly objected and said she did not sign any consent forms. Credit: Aura Bodago/Reveal In court filings, officials with the Office of Refugee Resettlement – the federal agency charged with overseeing unaccompanied minors – claim the agency doesn’t need parents’ permission to drug children in its custody in certain emergency situations. Attorneys representing immigrant children claim staff at Shiloh and other facilities routinely sign consent forms granting themselves authority to administer psychotropic drugs. Ruíz-Nazario was board certified in adult psychiatry in 1998 and recertified in 2008 – a certificate that remains valid through the end of this year. Ruíz-Nazario also has a current license from the Texas Medical Board, which indicates no actions or restrictions and no investigations into medical malpractice. His medical license, first granted by the state in 1990, remains active. Records also show he was issued a certificate for child and adolescent psychiatry on Nov. 11, 2000. But he lost that certification a decade later, at the end of 2010, when he failed to complete the board’s requirements, which include continuing education courses and an exam, records show. While the state’s medical board verifies basic information about doctors, including medical degrees, other information on physician profiles is self-reported, including board certification. Ruíz-Nazario reported to the Texas board that he’s certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for adult as well as child and adolescent psychiatry. The date of the doctor’s self-reported certification is unlisted, but the medical board’s rules state “physicians should maintain current profile information by submitting updates and corrections as changes occur.” The doctor also has received payments from drug companies that manufacture psychotropic drugs being given to children at Shiloh. The government requires drug companies to report what they spend on doctors’ meals and drinks to “shed light on the nature and extent of these financial relationships and … hopefully discourage the development of inappropriate relationships” that influence professional judgment, states the federal website that tracks the payments. According to ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs database, Ruíz-Nazario received $2,576 between 2013 and 2015 from drug companies, including those that manufacture psychotropics such as Seroquel XR, Latuda and Zoloft. All three brand-name drugs were prescribed to children at Shiloh in 2016, when Ruíz-Nazario was listed as the physician in court records. Shiloh is owned and operated by the same entity that operated a now-closed child care facility, Daystar Treatment Center, also just outside Manvel, Texas. Court records filed in the Flores case state that between 1993 and 2002, “three teenagers died at Daystar from asphyxiation due to physical restraints. In most cases, the children were hogtied. Beyond these deaths, there were reports of sexual abuse and staff making developmentally disabled girls fight for snacks. … In November 2010, a fourth child died in what was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation due to physical restraints.” Reveal reviewed records from the Texas Medical Board site for physicians listing Shiloh as their practice site, and none are currently board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry. Children end up at Shiloh and another residential treatment center in New York after they exhibit behaviors that doctors say require a higher level of mental health care, a process known as “step up.” In some cases, children are transferred among more than half a dozen shelters and can languish in the system for months and even years. One affidavit in the Flores case, from a child who came to the U.S. in 2014, states: “ln Shiloh they gave me even more medicine. I took nine pills in the morning and seven in the evening. I don’t know what medications I was taking; no one ever told me that. I don’t know what my diagnosis or illness is. … Some of the staff at Shiloh would provoke the children there and make us angry intentionally. They made us act violently so then we had to be given shots. The staff would insult us and call us names like ‘son of a whore.’ They often did it in English but I understood some English so I would know what they were saying and get really angry.” The affidavit continues, describing how staff would tranquilize children who misbehaved with shots. Reporters Will Evans, Vanessa Swales, Matt Smith and Patrick Michels contributed to this story. Aura Bogado can be reached [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @aurabogado. Source: https://www.revealnews.org/blog/exclusive-shiloh-doctor-lost-board-certification-to-treat-children-years-ago/ |
| News10NBC Investigates: 7 months later, why can't anyone tell a mother how her son died? June 25, 2018 06:48 PM Seven months after her son died suddenly inside a group home in Rochester, the mother of Luis Minllety still can't get anyone to tell her how and why he died. She and her new lawyer reached out to News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean for help. Advertisement – Content Continues Below Luis Minllety was the second person to die in a state-regulated group home in Monroe County last year. Luis died just before Christmas. After News10NBC started digging into this case last week, the Monroe County Medical Examiner finally delivered the official cause of death report to Rochester police Monday. And police finally contacted Minllety's mother. "I couldn't believe that my son died with no explanation," Mildred Gonzalez told News10NBC through a video chat from her home in Boston last Friday. She told News10NBC that no one would tell her how and why her son Luis died. "I asked God to help me find out what happened. I don't want to let it go. I don't want this to happen to other kids," Gonzalez said. Luis Minllety died inside his group home on December 7. The home is run by the Ibero-American Action League and regulated by New York State. In a phone conversation with News10NBC Friday, Ibero says staff had an 'intervention' with Minllety the day he died. 'Intervention' can include physically moving a person from one point to another or taking a person to the ground. Ibero told me three employees who worked with Luis on December 7 were suspended without pay. Ibero says two are back working under supervision. A third employee doesn't work with Ibero anymore. After an intervention led to the death of Heather Roselli at her group home in Webster run by Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Services last year, two staff members were indicted by a Monroe County Grand Jury for manslaughter. News10NBC asked to look at inspection reports of the Ibero group home by the state Office of People With Developmental Disabilities but the agency says it does not publish the inspection reports. "She wants to know why he died and if anyone is responsible," attorney Scott Charnas said. Last week News10NBC was contacted via email by Mr. Charnas who is Mildred Gonzalez's attorney. Mr. Charnas works in New York City. Gonzalez hired him when no one would talk to her. News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean: "What would you like to see happen here?" Scott Charnas, attorney for Luis Minllety's mother: "We want to get to the truth, whatever the truth is. Let the chips fall where they may. If it was an accident, then so be it. But if someone was responsible for it, not only should that person be punished, but there may be other people at that facility or someplace else that may be at risk of the same fate." Monroe County says the Medical Examiner's autopsy of Luis Minllety did not reveal how he died. The ME's official cause of death is a product of the autopsy and Rochester Police investigation notes. The County says the ME's office received a draft report by the RPD on May 23. The County provided News10NBC with a screenshot of the email of the final cause of death report. It was emailed from the ME's office to Rochester police Monday. "I want so much the responsible people to pay for what they did to my son," Gonzalez said. After going months with no one talking to her, Ms. Gonzalez says an RPD investigator returned her phone call Monday. Gonzalez told News10NBC that she was asked not to share what she was told. Source: http://www.whec.com/news/7-months-later-why-cant-anyone-tell-a-mother-how-her-son-died/4963733/ |
| More allegations surface against teen mental health treatment center By: Liz Foster Updated: Jun 26, 2018 - 6:43 PM Loading... 1 of 2 0 0 Share this with your friends! From To Compose your message More allegations surface against teen mental health treatment centerhttps://on.wsoctv.com/2Iw6MYv More allegations surface against teen mental health treatment center MARSHVILLE, N.C. - A new report obtained in a Channel 9 investigation revealed more disturbing allegations against a Union County mental health residential treatment center for teens. Medical director at Union County mental health facility addresses shocking findings The state’s Department of Health and Human Services initially suspended the license at Anderson Health Services. Now, it is moving to revoke the license after uncovering more allegations of abuse detailed in a 131-page report. Content Continues Below 'Imminent dangers' force suspension of Marshville mental health facility In May, a licensed therapist was accused of inappropriately touching one of the teens. The young boy wrote, "… he had his hand down touching me in a way I hated. I was scared to tell someone, but I had enough of it." According to state findings, Anderson Health suspended the therapist but didn't report the allegation to the state until five days later. In a separate incident in May involving another teen boy, multiple people told state investigators they heard the boy "crying, apologizing, yelling for help and making choking noises" while in a room with two counselors. Marshville police investigated and told Eyewitness News anchor Liz Foster they could not prove there was intent to harm the teen while restraining him, so no charges were filed. The state called it "serious harm and abuse." Additionally, local police who had been called to the facility told state investigators that the "(staff) verbally challenge the kids (clients)” and “(the) lack of rules is such a problem." The report also notes the facility did not know if staff or clients took 29 pills that disappeared and a registered nurse gave the wrong prescription medications to a teen who had to be monitored for hypoglycemic episodes. Weekly therapy sessions and 5.5 hours a day of required educational time were not provided. After those findings, the state sent multiple letters to the center's CEO imposing four top violations with a total of $12,000 in fines. One of the letters was a notice to revoke the center's license for violations that "endanger the health, safety and welfare of clients." Foster contacted the attorney representing Anderson Health. "A full and fair response would require the disclosure of confidential client information, consequently, Anderson Health Services has no comment," the attorney said. Channel 9 reported two weeks ago that all 17 teens who were receiving treatment at Anderson Health had been moved to another facility. It took Cardinal Innovations, the agency contracted by the state, a week and a half to move all the teens after shutting down most of the center's operations because of "imminent dangers." A spokesperson with DHHS told Channel 9 there is no set timeline for revoking the facility's license because an attorney for Anderson Health has filed an appeal to the state's actions. According to state law, the owner cannot open another facility for at least five years if a former facility's license is revoked. Source: https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/more-allegations-surface-against-teen-mental-health-treatment-center/777612485 |
| Disabled woman scalded in group home shower sues Sunrise Community Developmentally disabled woman scalded in group home shower sues Sunrise Community Jeffrey Schweers, Tallahassee Democrat Published 2:19 p.m. ET June 27, 2018 Elizabeth McDonald, charged with culpable negligence to inflict harm in scalding of a group home patient(Photo: Leon County Sheriff's Office) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE The mother of a developmentally disabled woman in her 20s has filed a lawsuit against Sunrise Community, Inc. claiming she was severely burned while being bathed at the Tallahassee group home where she had lived for more than a year. The complaint filed Tuesday in Leon County Circuit Court said Katrina Marggraff, who is unable to speak or care for herself, received “life-threatening burns” all over her body at the Mahan Cluster Homes on Mahan Drive in January. Marggraff had been a resident there since Aug. 15, 2016. “The abuse and neglect that we allege Ms. Marggraff suffered under Sunrise Community’s care is unconscionable,” Spencer Payne, the family’s attorney with Morgan & Morgan, said in a prepared statement. “Not only does it appear Sunrise Community failed to provide a safe and nurturing environment, but also traumatized a vulnerable and disabled young woman, causing her tremendous pain and suffering from which she’ll never fully recover.” The Miami-based company did not return a request for comment. The complaint said employee Elizabeth McDonald, who was 18 at the time and has since been charged with culpable neglect, stuck Marggraff into a scalding shower without checking the water temperature and left her in there. The complaint said McDonald dressed Marggraff to conceal the burns and didn’t report them to any other personnel. An arrest affidavit for McDonald said that Marggraff’s mother was contacted by a Sunrise Community representative to report that the red marks on Katrina’s face, normally caused by drooling, were “significantly pronounced” and that a doctor was being contacted. The doctor advised using vaseline on Katrina’s face, but two hours later, Sunrise officials called the mother to report that the marks were more serious, that blisters were forming and her skin was peeling, the arrest affidavit said. Once Sunrise Community staff realized how badly burned Marggraff was, they called an ambulance, which took her to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s emergency room, advising her mother that she didn’t need to be there, the arrest affidavit said. Tina Marggraff arrived shortly after the ambulance, the affidavit said. When doctors at TMH saw how badly Katrina Marggraff was burned, they immediately flew her to the UF Health Shands Burn Center in Gainesville where specialists found second and third degree burns covering 6 to 8 percent of her body, including on her genitals, buttocks, side, face and neck, court documents said. TMH medical staff were so horrified by Marggraff's condition they contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families to report suspected abuse and neglect, court records said. The burns resulted in permanent scarring and disfigurement as well as bodily injury, pain and suffering both mental and physical, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, aggravation of an existing condition and other harm, the complaint said. Sunrise Community conducted its own internal investigation and fired McDonald. Four days after the incident, Marggraff’s mother and guardian reported the abuse to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, according to court documents. The ensuing investigation resulted in McDonald’s arrest on misdemeanor charges of intentionally inflicting harm through negligence. In a prepared statement provided to the media, Tina Marggraff said, “Seeing your child in pain is something no parent should have to experience, and to have our daughter suffer abuse and neglect from the very people supposed to care for her has just been heartbreaking. We want to ensure this never happens to anyone at Sunrise Community again.” Source: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/06/27/disabled-woman-scalded-group-home-shower-sues-sunrise-community/736169002/ |
| Family of sexual assault, suicide victim file wrongful death lawsuit against group home Lawsuit claims employees refused to perform CPR By: Jessica Arp Posted: Jun 29, 2018 02:10 PM CDT Updated: Jun 29, 2018 08:34 PM CDT More Headlines Alumni event marks end for historic Janesville school Summer school draws record enrollment numbers Copyright 2018 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. High heat causes pavement buckle on Highway 51 © Brandpoint High heat and your pet: Keeping your four-legged friends safe MADISON, Wis. - A Marshall family is suing employees of a now-closed group home, claiming they were "deliberately indifferent" and negligent to a 17-year-old sexual assault victim who died of suicide in the home in 2016. The family of 17-year-old Breyanna Kalk filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month against Orion Family Services, which operated the Spohn Avenue House for Girls in 2016. Kalk was the previously unnamed victim in a brutal rape case in a Wisconsin Department of Corrections halfway house. A jury Thursday found Nathan Thompson, the final of four suspects, guilty of second-degree sexual assault and multiple counts of bail jumping. Thompson, as well as registered sex offenders Stephon Hiler, Reginald Patton and James Phillips were all found guilty of sexual assault charges in the case. News 3 had reported on the home, and found that the DOC had not regularly monitored the home where Kalk was taken and subsequently repeatedly raped. The house was shut down by the DOC, but homes remain throughout the state where sex offenders are located for emergency housing once they leave prison. Following the sexual assault, Kalk took her own life inside the Spohn Avenue home. News 3 has not previously named Kalk as she was a minor and sexual assault victim. The Kalk family attorney, Bob Gingras, told News 3 they included her name in the court filing deliberately because they no longer wanted to keep her identity a secret. In the federal lawsuit filing, the Kalk family claims that Orion employees Younin Choi, Kate Ristow and Kristi Buske were "deliberately indifferent" to Kalk and negligent in their treatment of her. The lawsuit claims employees denied Kalk a visit with her family for the first time in four months following a violation of policies in the group home for alcohol use. Kalk was required to stay in the house and the lawsuit claims a protocol should have had her on 15-minute checks by Choi, which weren't done. Ristow later found Kalk had hanged herself in her closet. "Ristow did not check to see if Breyanna was alive, nor did she attempt to cut Breyanna down or support her," the lawsuit claims. The employees ultimately called 911. "The 911 operator instructed Risow and Choi to engage in CPR," the lawsuit claims. "Both of them refused to provide such aid, in spite of being trained to perform it." Emergency medical services officials said Kalk was still alive when they arrived at Spohn Avenue, but she later died at the hospital. News 3 reached out to officials at Orion Family Services. They did not immediately return a request for comment. Gingras said the family is also "actively investigating" a potential lawsuit against the Department of Corrections for the circumstances of the sexual assault. Source: https://www.channel3000.com/news/family-of-sexual-assault-suicide-victim-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-group-home/760879412 |
| Prison sentence in Sonoma sex-abuse case - SFGate Prison sentence in Sonoma sex-abuse case By Lauren Hernandez Published 8:27 pm, Friday, June 29, 2018 32 Photo: Michael Brown / Fotolia Image 1of/1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 A former caseworker accused of sexually assaulting teens at Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma pleaded no contest to child sexual abuse charges and will be sentenced to 21 years in prison. A former caseworker accused of sexually assaulting teens at Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma pleaded no contest to child sexual abuse charges and will be sentenced to 21 years in prison. Photo: Michael Brown / Fotolia Prison sentence in Sonoma sex-abuse case 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Morning Report Daily Newsletter Everything you need to know to start your day You agree to our Terms of Use. Your information will be used as described in our Privacy Notice. A former caseworker accused of sexually assaulting teens at a residential treatment center in Sonoma pleaded no contest to child sexual abuse charges and will be sentenced to 21 years in prison, officials said. Kevin Scott Thorpe, 40, pleaded no-contest as part of a plea agreement with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and was found guilty of 11 child sex abuse charges Friday, including unlawful oral copulation accomplished by duress, five counts of unlawful oral copulation with a minor, and one count of annoying or molesting a child. “This disposition will guarantee a lengthy prison term for this sexual predator followed by a lifetime registration as a sex offender,” said Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch. “We hope the resolution of this case will bring some closure to the victims.” An investigation into Thorpe’s conduct with former students at the Hanna Boys Center was prompted after one former student came forward with allegations of sexual abuse while Thorpe was his caseworker, according to the district attorney’s office. LATEST SFGATE VIDEOS Smoke visible in Napa County from fire in Yolo Now Playing: Now Playing Smoke visible in Napa County from fire in Yolo...Courtesy of Craig Philpott Thousands march for immigrant rights in San Francisco...Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle Concord vegetation fire - from road...San Francisco Chronicle Concord vegetation fire - close up...Courtesy of Allie Rocha Pelicans released...Roger Wyan, International Bird Rescue SF police cruiser crashes into car in the Financial District...Andy Capote / Special to The Chronicle Protesters confront EPA chief Scott Pruitt in San Francisco...SF Resistance Video shows autism symptoms in mice being reduced...Courtesy of UC Berkeley How have violent crime rates changed over time in the...Drew Costley/San Francisco Chronicle How do crime rates vary in the three major Bay...Drew Costley/San Francisco Chronicle Sonoma County Sheriff’s officials investigated the allegations and found additional victims. After Thorpe was charged, three men and one boy testified at a preliminary hearing in May, officials said. All three men testified that Thorpe victimized them when they were teenagers in the program. The minor was called as a witness during the hearing, but officials said he had trouble discussing his interactions with Thorpe on the stand. He is required to register as a sex offender upon his release. After serving his prison term, officials said Thorpe will be subject to consideration for a civil commitment as a sexually violent predator. Source: https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Prison-sentence-in-Sonoma-sex-abuse-case-13039141.php |
| Judge awards $16M to victim of sexual assault at treatment center By Sydney Mook on Jul 5, 2018 at 6:04 p.m. AddThis Sharing Buttons Share to Facebook1Share to TwitterShare to RedditShare to EmailShare to Copy Link Bruce Biddlecome ST. PAUL—A Minnesota judge has awarded $16 million in damages to a former patient of an East Grand Forks drug treatment center who was sexually assaulted by the center's executive director, Bruce Biddlecome, in 2014. Ramsey County District Court Judge David Higgs ruled that the woman is entitled to $8 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages following a civil lawsuit against Biddlecome. The former director of Douglas Place Treatment Center, Biddlecome pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult, a gross misdemeanor, in May 2016 after admitting to engaging in sexual acts with a center resident in 2014. He was sentenced to serve five months in jail. Biddlecome, 43, was initially charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct by a person in an authority role, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. That charge was reduced to sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult after a judge ruled Biddlecome was not a counselor for the victim. In Minnesota law, all clients of residential treatment centers are considered vulnerable. The woman told investigators Biddlecome sexually assaulted her twice when he took her on two different trips to area stores in November and December 2014 while she was a patient at the center, according to a court document. Both times, Biddlecome demanded she have sex with him and threatened she would go back to where she came from — she understood him to mean jail — if she did not comply, a court document states. The woman told investigators Biddlecome assaulted her a third time on Christmas Eve 2014 when he went into her room at Douglas Place and said he had come "for an early Christmas present and that it was her," according to a court document. He admitted to having sex with the victim on Christmas Eve 2014 when pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult. The judge noted that the woman was "particularly vulnerable to the abuse of someone like Bruce Biddlecome." Higgs wrote that the "PTSD, depression and related emotional distress that results from that abuse is significant" and will likely continue through the rest of her life. Higgs wrote that "breaking the cycle of chemical addition is a difficult feat on its own." Coupling that feat with "the memory and trauma of being sexually assaulted and emotionally violated" multiple times by a person of trust will make future rehabilitation efforts more difficult. "Although the wounds caused by Bruce Biddlecome are not visually apparent, the Court is convinced that they are deep wounds that will cause pain and hardship" for the rest of her life, Higgs wrote. There is "clear and convincing evidence that Bruce Biddlecome acted with deliberate disregard for the right and safety" of the woman, he continued. "Bruce Biddlecome admitted that he knew that sexual contact with vulnerable adults such as (the woman) was unethical, furthermore, as counselor he had been trained specifically about sexual contact with adults and was aware of the risks and consequences of such an action," Higgs wrote. "Despite this knowledge, Bruce Biddlecome coerced and sexually assaulted (the woman.)" Higgs wrote that Biddlecome knew he was in a position of trust and was aware that the residents of the center had past actions, such as criminal files and probation, that could be used to "coerce and exploit those individuals into providing personal gratification to him." Higgs also noted that Biddlecome was mandated reporter, which meant he knew that he was required to notify the state about actions like his. "Such conduct is reprehensible and is deserving of punishment. Given Bruce Biddlecome's conduct and his position of power, the Court concludes that above punitive damages are warranted in this case," Higgs ended. Mark Kosieradzki, an attorney representing the victim, was not available for comment Thursday. Source: https://www.wctrib.com/news/crime-and-courts/4469083-judge-awards-16m-victim-sexual-assault-treatment-center |
| Employee at Topeka’s Villages group home has history of sexual misconduct allegations By Katie Moore Friday Posted Jul 6, 2018 at 1:59 PM Updated Jul 6, 2018 at 9:00 PM Share The Villages said Friday that an investigation into an employee repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct didn’t require action, but the governor pushed for his removal from the group home that shelters unaccompanied immigrant children. Jeff Montague, the organization’s human resources manager, was arrested in connection with solicitation of sodomy in 2007 in Gage Park. He signed a diversion agreement and paid $300 in fees and court costs. Montague’s past, which includes being forced out of the Boy Scouts over an accusation in 1989, became the subject of controversy in 2014 when he appeared in a campaign ad for then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis. Sylvia Crawford, The Villages’ executive director, said allegations concerning Montague’s past surfaced about a year ago from a former employee. “Both DCF and the Inspector General’s office completed an investigation with no corrective action required on our part,” she said in an email Friday. Crawford didn’t address questions about how long Montague has been employed by The Villages or whether he interacts with the children. According to documents obtained by The Capital-Journal, Montague has been an employee there for more than three years. Attempts to reach Montague for comment Friday by phone and via Facebook weren’t successful. In 1989, Montague was accused of making sexual advances toward a male exchange student. Seaman High School and the Boy Scouts of America cut ties with him. Two years later, the child’s family filed a lawsuit against Montague, Boy Scouts of America, Topeka Church of the Brethren and Jayhawk Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. The case was resolved in 1993, when the parties agreed to an undisclosed settlement while denying liability. Montague also is a stage actor and has performed in several Topeka Civic Theater productions. He was featured in a Davis gubernatorial campaign commercial, but it was pulled after Montague’s past conduct was revealed. Kendall Marr, a spokesman for Gov. Jeff Colyer, said the governor was shocked to learn Montague was employed by The Villages. He said it appeared federal rules governing contractors allowed Montague to continue to work at The Villages, but the governor indicated Montague should be dismissed. “It is our hope that The Villages will choose the right thing for the vulnerable children they serve and separate him from this position based upon the information publicly available,” Marr said. Marr also said the Kansas Department for Children and Families would “begin looking into the matter” to determine whether the Colyer administration had other options for addressing the situation. The Villages entered into a contract with the federal government to care for up to 50 unaccompanied individuals between the ages of 6 and 18. Last month, officials revealed as many as 10 children who had been forcibly separated from their parents at the border had stayed at the facility. Source: http://www.cjonline.com/news/20180706/employee-at-topekas-villages-group-home-has-history-of-sexual-misconduct-allegations |
| St. Lucie County home worker charged with sexual battery by CBS12 News Julia Nicole Hajny was in the St. Lucie County jail on Friday. ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A group home worker in St. Lucie County is accused of committing a terrible crime. Deputies say Julia Nicole Hajny, 48, is charged with sexual battery after becoming sexually involved with a resident of the group home for people with mental disabilities. Hajny was in the St. Lucie County jail on $250,000 bail. The contact occurred between March 27 and June 15, according to the warrant served on Wednesday Source: http://cbs12.com/news/local/st-lucie-county-home-worker-charged-with-sexual-battery |
| Major problems found at group home after special needs resident allegedly beaten, sexually assaulted 2 days 5 hours 11 minutes ago Monday, July 09 2018 Jul 9, 2018 July 09, 2018 4:34 PM July 09, 2018 in The Investigative Unit Source: WBRZ By: Chris Nakamoto Share: Setup Timeout Error: Setup took longer than 30 seconds to complete. BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Health launched an investigation into a local group home after a Livingston Parish resident was left with a broken nose and urinated on by another resident. The investigation revealed at least 13 deficiencies that needed an immediate correction, according to the 67-page report the WBRZ Investigative Unit obtained. Caleb Sharp, 22, has a chromosomal anomaly which requires him to depend on adults for care. Sharp was staying in a group home in Ponchatoula when things went wrong this year, according to his mother. "Caleb was lying in his bed, and [another resident] was instructed by another worker to urinate on Caleb while he was lying in his bed," Jessica Mitchell said. Mitchell took Caleb home and immediately called a meeting with administrators. "After that meeting, Caleb came home and lived with me for about a week," Mitchell recalled. "He went back to the group home. When he went back, that's when the horror story began." The horror Mitchell refers to is documented in pictures that show her son beaten and bloodied. "First we called the police," Mitchell said. "A deputy came out and said because of the circumstances he was not able to do anything at that point. He took my husband's statement and left." Mitchell also filed complaints with the State Department of Health, which launched an investigation into the group home and found 13 major problems. The 67-page report notes the facility failed to protect clients from physical and psychological abuse, neglected to seek medical treatment after the incidents, and found the facility couldn't provide evidence that the abuse was thoroughly investigated. "I gave them my child to take care of, and the opposite happened," Mitchell said. "This needs to stop. They need to be held accountable for what they've done and what they've allowed to happen." Last month, Mitchell sued Rescare and the workers responsible for what happened to Caleb alleging Rescare employees directed people in the house to physically beat, sexually assault, taunt and psychologically abuse him, as well as urinate on him and his belongings. "This instance has set Caleb back and his family back," Mitchell's attorney Scott Mansfield said. "It has thrown their world off and thrown a wrench in their daily lives, and it needs to be addressed by Rescare. " Mansfield said Rescare has a history of doing this across the country which results in big problems for residents. "Rescare is responsible for hiring qualified employees and training them to care for people with special needs," Mansfield said. "Rescare hires unqualified workers and families trust these people to care for their loved ones with special needs and Rescare has failed them." Attempts to reach people at the group home were unsuccessful. Knocks at the door went unanswered. A spokesperson for Rescare released the following statement, "It is Rescare's policy not to comment on pending litigation." Meanwhile, Mitchell said Caleb is back at home. She wants her fun-loving son back. "I don't want another family or another special needs adult to have to go through what Caleb's gone through and what our family has gone through," Mitchell said. The WBRZ Investigative Unit obtained job listings for Rescare and the listings indicate applicants need no formal skills or training. According to Rescare, it operates in 42 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Source: http://www.wbrz.com/news/major-problems-found-at-group-home-after-special-needs-resident-allegedly-beaten-sexually-assaulted/ |
| Group home of teen who drowned is target of several investigations 13-year-old drowned during trip to beach Scott Noll 6:01 PM, Jul 10, 2018 7:35 PM, Jul 10, 2018 The group home where a 13-year-old boy was staying when he drowned last weekend is now the focus of at least three investigations. CLEVELAND - The group home where a 13-year-old boy was staying when he drowned last weekend is now the focus of at least three investigations. Ohio's Department of Jobs and Family Services, Cleveland Metroparks and Cuyahoga County's Division of Children and Family Services all want answers about what's going on inside Quality Care Residential Homes. According to investigators, a worker from the group home took Shaud Howell and two other teens to Edgewater Beach around 7 p.m. Friday. Howell and another teen played in the water for about an hour, then planned to head back to the beach. Only the 16-year-old made it back. Howell's body was found by searchers Sunday. But could his death have been prevented? Lifeguards ended their watch of the beach at 7 p.m., and according to an incident report, lake conditions were so rough firefighters "determined it would be too dangerous for divers to enter the water." RELATED: Beachgoers, parents want more lifeguard oversight after 13YO boy found dead in Lake Erie So where was the group home employee who was responsible for the three teens? "From what I understand, not very far," said Desmond Johnson, Administrator of Quality Care Residential Homes. "Like, sitting on a hill from where the water was at. I'm not for sure exactly, but I think maybe a few feet away, not too far." According to investigators, the 16-year-old swimming with Howell had to use another teen's cell phone to "call the staff member in charge of the three boys." News 5 asked Johnson why the teen would have needed to call the worker if she was nearby. "There's still an investigation," Johnson said. "I mean, I'm just going by what reports we're getting too. Right now it's still under investigation." Johnson says he feels bad about what happened, noting Howell had only been with the group home for about a week after he was placed there by county social workers. Records show Quality Care Residential Homes, which runs two facilities, will receive $550,646 as part of its contract with Cuyahoga County to provide out-of-home placement and foster care services this year. "We do a good job," said Johnson. "The county has been giving us business for a while now. We've always done a good job with their kids so I don't see a problem with it." News 5 has requested state and local inspection records for Quality Care Residential Homes. So far, those documents have not been made available. Source: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/group-home-of-teen-who-drowned-is-target-of-several-investigations |
| Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch is an organization for troubled children. Prosecuting attorney Veronica Procter questions a witness during a trial of alleged negligence by the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch following claims of sexual abuse at Yellowstone County Courthouse on Thursday. A residential program for troubled youth failed to keep one 10-year-old safe from sexual abuse by other residents, even after staff assured his mother it wouldn’t happen, according to plaintiffs. The civil trial got underway Thursday in the 13th Judicial District Court in a negligence case against the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch. The allegations include that one other 10-year-old boy exposed himself to the alleged victim and to another boy, and also cornered the alleged victim and sexually assaulted him. According to the complaint, another 10-year-old boy masturbated while standing in the alleged victim’s doorway. The alleged victim lived at the ranch for seven months in 2013 and 2014 and had his own room, his mother testified. The ranch denies it was negligent and says it handled the complaints according to policy. The mother of the alleged victim had researched the ranch prior to enrolling her son and been assured it did not accept residents who were aggressive perpetrators of sexual offenses, she testified on Thursday. “I trusted he’d be safe,” she said, crying. “I promised him.” The Billings Gazette is not naming the mother to avoid identifying a potential victim of sexual abuse. The mother’s brother had been molested at a youth residential facility when he was young, she said. While considering a residential program to treat her son’s growing behavioral problems, one of her primary concerns was that her son would fall victim to the same type of sexual abuse that her brother had experienced. The mother said in court Thursday her brother’s past abuse continued to affect him as an adult, and that he’d turned to drugs and had difficulty maintaining a job or healthy relationships. Judge Gregory Todd presides over a trial of alleged negligence by the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch following claims of sexual abuse at Yellowstone County Courthouse on Thursday. She also testified that after she removed her son from the ranch and filed the lawsuit against it, she one day noticed a photo of her smiling son on the website of the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation. "I was appalled that after everything that had happened ... that they would still use his face to raise them money," the mother said. The foundation took down the photo after the mother contacted them. In opening statements for the ranch, attorney Mary Duncan said staff responded appropriately once notified about the allegations. “And the minute that there is a mention of something that could be deemed sexual behavior toward him, it prompted, within their system, their reaction, their professional reaction, that they had trained for,” she said. Defense attorney Mary Duncan prepares to cross examine a witness during a trial of alleged negligence by the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch following claims of sexual abuse at Yellowstone County Courthouse on Thursday. That included notifying other staff members, filing an incident report and conducting an internal investigation, Duncan said. Duncan said the ranch is a mental hospital with a home-like feel that houses youth aged 7-18. Staff are passionate about helping kids, she said. Duncan told the jury it was important to assess the level of severity in sexually deviant behavior, and that the two residents in question did not rise to the level of “aggressive perpetrators of sexual offenses,” a type of behavior the ranch has prohibited, according to its admissions policies. It was appropriate for all of the boys involved in the case to have been placed at the ranch, Duncan said. “There’s a difference between a kid who randomly does something kind of weird that might have a sexual tinge to it and someone who is looking for it, for their own gratification, or to hurt someone,” Duncan said. Duncan said jurors would hear from experts about developmentally appropriate childhood behaviors “that sometimes do include sexual curiosity,” and how staff at a residential facility should respond. While state law requires the ranch to maintain a one-to-eight ratio for adults per children, the ranch in fact staffs one adult for every five kids during the daytime, Duncan said. It keeps a one-to-eight ratio for nighttime supervision. The two sides went to mediation in March but failed to reach an agreement. Prosecuting attorney Veronica Procter listens as a witness is cross examined during a trial of alleged negligence by the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch following claims of sexual abuse at Yellowstone County Courthouse on Thursday. In a statement of damages, attorney for the plaintiff Veronica Procter said the request could meet or exceed $500,000. Source: https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/youth-treatment-center-in-billings-failed-to-protect-boy-from/article_d84ab644-a1ce-5bbc-a0f6-50b3a1d7a144.html |
| Florida juvenile sexual assault: Teen abused at Walton County facility - The Washington Post A teen was sexually assaulted in a juvenile facility — while a staffer watched, police say by Kristine Phillips July 16 at 2:02 PM Email the author Police say a 15-year-old was sexually assaulted at Walton Academy for Growth and Change in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., while a staffer watched and laughed. (Google) As it happened, officials say, Antoine Travell Davis stood by the cell’s doorway, laughing as a group of delinquent teens sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy who, just minutes before, was sitting on a couch watching television. Davis is not a minor sent to live at the Walton Academy for Growth and Change, one of Florida’s residential facilities for troubled juveniles. He was an employee, contracted by the state of Florida to, presumably, supervise the teens. But according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Davis, 27, watched from a few feet away, egging on the group of four teenagers as they sodomized the 15-year-old with a travel-size shampoo bottle. Antoine Travell Davis. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office) Davis, who is facing criminal charges, is not the first staffer to face similarly disturbing accusations in Florida’s juvenile system. As one public defender once described to the Miami Herald, the state’s troubled teenagers have, for years, been turned into enforcers tasked with beating fellow detainees in exchange for rewards. The Herald’s groundbreaking investigation, “Fight Club,” uncovered a system “beset by lax hiring standards, low pay, sexual misconduct and beatings bought for the price of a pastry,” a system where even sexual predators were hired to safeguard the state’s delinquents. Almost nothing is publicly known about Davis’s history before he worked at the Walton Academy for Growth and Change, a 39-bed facility in a small Florida Panhandle town, or what exactly his job was. Florida officials referred personnel questions to Rites of Passage, a Nevada-based contractor that works with the state. The company’s human resource officer has not responded to requests for comment. [Dozens claim a Chicago detective beat them into confessions. A pattern of abuse or a pattern of lies?] In a statement, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice said the incident is under investigation. “DJJ does not tolerate this type of behavior and the contracted staff person involved in the incident has been terminated,” the agency said. “Their actions are inexcusable, and it is our expectation that they be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” The July 5 911 call to the facility in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., was over a fight involving several juveniles. Two teenagers grabbed the victim as he was watching television in the common room, carried him down the hall and toward a cell, which Davis had just unlocked, according to a probable-cause document. Inside the cell, two other teenagers were waiting, and all four — DeQuan Myers, Berkley Bell and Brian Burton, all 17, and Walter Harvey, 16 — forced the victim onto the bed with his face down and sexually assaulted him, documents say. Surveillance footage later showed Davis standing by the cell’s doorway for one to two minutes. He “appears to be laughing,” documents say. Clockwise from top left: Berkley Bell, 17, of Daytona Beach, Fla.; Brian Burton, 17, of West Park, Fla.; Walter Harvey, 16, of Winter Haven Fla.; and DeQuan Myers, 17, of Tampa. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office) The alleged assault lasted only a few minutes, and the teen was able to free himself, pulling up his pants as he walked out of the cell. Upset, he began throwing items in the common areas. He confronted Davis, whom he saw sitting at a table, writing up the teen for his behavior, documents say. The victim snatched the paper from Davis, who stood up, grabbed the teen by his shirt and shoved him onto another table. Later, authorities say, one of the teen suspects shook hands with Davis. A witness who spoke with investigators corroborated the victim’s account of what happened. Davis denied the allegations, and the public defender’s office, which represents him, declined to comment. He told investigators he did not know about the incident — even as he said the teens were “just horse playing” and claimed he “could not recall” why he was laughing as he stood by the cell’s doorway. The teen suspects were each charged Thursday with false imprisonment and lewd and lascivious battery. It was not immediately clear whom their attorneys are. Davis is facing similar charges and an additional battery charge. He is being held on a $100,000 bond. [‘Yes, you do. You want to die’: More disturbing details revealed in California child-abuse case] The charges against Davis come just a few months after a former Florida juvenile detention officer was indicted on civil rights charges for his role in the beating death of a 17-year-old detainee, federal officials announced in April. Officials say Antwan Lenard Johnson, 35, “operated a commonly utilized bounty system” to ensure obedience and respect from detainees. He “encouraged and induced” these detainees to assault Elord Revolte. In exchange, the juveniles were rewarded. Revolte died Aug. 31, 2015. The charges against Johnson followed an investigation by the Miami Herald, which described Revolte’s final moments in excruciating detail. “I hit him. He swung two punches. He hit me,” said one of several teens who pounced on the 17-year-old, according to the Herald’s report. “I swung one punch, and then I grabbed his shirt and hit him again. Then I slammed him on his head, and I hit him. … All my friends, they start jumping over the chairs, while Elord was on the floor, and they went to stomping on him.” Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/07/16/a-teen-was-sexually-assaulted-in-a-juvenile-facility-while-a-staffer-watched-police-say/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a4c538ec2078 |
| Viral Facebook video questions group home and state foster care system One of the teenagers told police he was kidnaped and raped back in March 2018. Police arrested Robert Stephens and charged him with sexual battery. He is still in jail. Author: Kenneth Amaro Published: 6:46 PM EDT July 16, 2018 Updated: 11:26 AM EDT July 17, 2018 JACKSONVILLE, Fl -- The Panama Youth Services is in a nondescript building, but the community knows what goes on behind the cinder block two story building and they hate it. "They need to get that sh*t away from around here," said Kelsey, who lives nearby. "They don't do nothing but go and steal, walk up and down the street all night long." P.Y.S. opened its doors in 2009. One of the teenagers told police he was kidnaped and raped back in March 2018. Police arrested Robert Stephens and charged him with sexual battery. He is still in jail. That same teenager, whom we are not naming, is now on Facebook being critical of the foster care system and the group home. "They kicked me out and said I could not come back until 12 in the morning," he said, " so I went up to the store where this guy had threatened me with a gun to come with him. Willie Green is the CEO of Panama Youth Services "We have the worst of the worst children," said Green. The average age is 15, but the facility is licensed for teenagers ages 15-to-17. By state law, Green cannot talk about the teenager in the video, but he defends what they do at P.Y.S. "We really do try to do the right thing for our kids," said Green, "We try to protect them from the public and we try to protect the public from them as well." Unfortunately, this is not the first time Panama Youth Services has been in the spotlight: In 2016, two teenagers broke curfew and were arrested for killing a cab driver. In 2014, a teenager had his leg severed by a train while trying to make it back after breaking curfew. He said these are the incidents that attract the headlines, but PYS has transformed the lives of a number of children. Green said they're doing positive things and they are the only group home in the area designed to meet the needs of the community he serves. "We are dealing with tough kids," said Green. Green was emphatic when he said what happened with these teenagers is not an issue of negligence. The former marine is passionate about what he is doing; he said it is not the program, it is the kids in the program. Green said a year ago PYS hired a Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer to be on location from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. On Your Side requested copies of the facilities state inspections and compliance reports. We were told that it will take three days to get that information. As for the teenager, he has a court hearing to determine where he will be placed. He is hoping for a different location he can call home. Source: https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/viral-facebook-video-questions-group-home-and-state-foster-care-system/77-574442926 |
| We can, and must, end the foster care trap By Robert L. Woodson Sr., opinion contributor — 07/17/18 11:00 AM EDT 11 The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill 15 We cannot reform the nation’s foster care system by “improving the quality and training of foster parents and social service staff” within the system, as a recent Princeton University report suggests. The greatest problems are inherent in the system and improving its function will not accomplish reform. That would be like trying the change the flow of a river from a boat riding midstream. The only hope to ensure that the system protects children is to replace it. I do not make such a recommendation lightly. I have witnessed firsthand how insidiously the foster care system destroys children and families with its “helping hand.” For more than 50 years, the system has treated children entrusted to its care as a commodity. Once a child is legally declared a ward of the state, there is resistance to reuniting the child with his or her parent(s) or finding an adoptive family. Decades ago, as a young social worker in a small town near Philadelphia, I witnessed this “foster care trap.” One mother facing hard times followed the advice of her caseworker and voluntarily committed her three children to temporary placement. After six months, she had secured a job and requested the return of her children. The agency assessed the living conditions in her home, and then said she needed an additional bedroom. There were other requirements, and the financial cost of compliance was beyond her means. Her bitterness about the situation confirmed to the caseworker that she should not care for her children. In another case, agency representatives found a 12-year-old babysitting his younger siblings while his mother shopped for groceries. She was given a warning but when this happened again, the children were removed from the home. The agency would not provide the mother with money for a babysitter, and required her to visit her children in their foster home 20 miles away, even though she did not have a car, or risk the permanent termination of her parental rights. In these instances, the agency collected $15,000 annually for each child in reimbursements from the state. A third example was the most heartbreaking for me. My caseload included a 6-year-old girl, Cathy, who as an infant was placed on a farm in the care of an elderly woman also caring for another foster child. Cathy's case file contained no indication of an agency site visit during her six years of foster care. When I met Cathy, I learned she could neither speak nor hear, and I asked how long she had been like that. The foster mother explained that as a baby, Cathy developed a dangerously high fever. The foster mother had called her social worker repeatedly but received no response, so she administered a home remedy. I took Cathy to a Philadelphia hospital and learned that had her rheumatic fever been treated, she would not have lost her hearing and speech. Our trip to Philadelphia happened during the Christmas holidays and I took her to see Santa at a downtown department store. I will never forget the joy in her eyes. I removed Cathy from the isolated farm and placed her with a family with four foster children and enrolled her in the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Had I the means, I would have adopted her myself. Throughout the country, children of all races and ethnicities have been damaged by the long arm of their “rescuers,” the foster care system, but the toll has been taken disproportionately among black children. One reason often given for the failure to place black children in stable, permanent families is the purported unwillingness or lack of interest among blacks to adopt children. In 1977, Dr. Robert B. Hill, then the research director of the National Urban League, conducted a study that challenged this assumption. Using census data, he found that, although blacks make up just 13 percent of the population, they account for 50 percent of non-relative families caring for children. This begs the question: Why are so many black families willing to care for foster children but not adopt children? The answer may have to do with the system’s gamut of rules, regulations and restrictions. A number of years ago, 150 families responded to an aggressive public ad campaign to recruit black adoptive families in Chicago. Only four families successfully made it through the system’s hoops to adopt a child. The system is organized to screen out potential adoptive parents, rather than to facilitate children’s placement in permanent homes. However, there is hope for these vulnerable children. Community- and faith-based organizations have recruited volunteers to host struggling families during crises and prevent children’s entry into the system and facilitate timely adoptions. Harvest of Hope in New Jersey, created to address the shortage of black foster care homes, has successfully placed more than 1,400 children in loving homes and facilitated 300 adoptions. Other effective private-sector initiatives include Foster Haven, Love in Action, Safe Families for Children, and the Foster Care Closet. Because most such effective organizations exist within the neighborhoods they serve and work without fanfare, we need to take an inventory of similar programs that work to preserve families or facilitate adoptions. Congress could play a role by passing outcome-focused legislation to address the child care crisis. To this end, the Family First Prevention Service Act passed this year prioritizes keeping children in stable homes by providing help for families struggling with drug addiction or other self-destructive behaviors. It also provides states with incentives to reduce the institutionalization of children in group homes that are not only expensive but associated with lower academic achievement and higher risk of delinquent behavior. One way to ensure that this law works to realize its promise would be to establish an alliance of private-sector groups to work with five state governments to reduce their foster care population by 50 percent. On the foundation of that pilot initiative, the program could spread throughout the country, enabling us to eventually end the tragic morality play that reserves the worst parts for the most unprotected among us. Robert L. Woodson Sr. founded The Woodson Center in 1981 to help residents of low-income neighborhoods address problems of their communities. He has headed the National Urban League Department of Criminal Justice, and has been a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Foundation for Public Policy Research. Follow him on Twitter @BobWoodson. Source: http://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/397126-we-can-and-must-end-the-foster-care-trap |
| Audit rips Illinois' oversight of group homes for adults with disabilities Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune Michael McCotter, left, inspector general for the Illinois Department of Human Services, and DHS Secretary James Dimas are questioned by Illinois senators at the Bilandic Building on Dec. 12, 2016, following the Tribune investigation "Suffering In Secret." Michael McCotter, left, inspector general for the Illinois Department of Human Services, and DHS Secretary James Dimas are questioned by Illinois senators at the Bilandic Building on Dec. 12, 2016, following the Tribune investigation "Suffering In Secret." (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune) Christy GutowskiContact ReporterChicago Tribune A damning state auditor general report released Thursday found systemic failures in Illinois’ licensing and oversight of thousands of taxpayer-funded group homes for adults with disabilities, problems first exposed in a 2016 Tribune investigation that documented substandard conditions and widespread harm. The nearly 230-page report also questioned whether the state did enough in recent years to ensure the safe transition of more than 400 vulnerable adults from large developmental centers into the smaller group homes. And auditors found the state used “questionable procurement strategies” when it awarded multimillion-dollar contracts to the company managing that transition. The Illinois Department of Human Services, which oversees the group homes and larger centers, said the critical report is largely based on dated information that does not include changes underway to address the problems. The audit focuses on the state’s oversight of more than 3,000 group homes — one-third of which are in Cook County — that serve about 10,000 adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. It covers a four-year period ending June 30, 2016. The auditors cited findings by the Tribune’s investigative series “Suffering in Secret,” which in late 2016 detailed deaths and mistreatment that occurred inside the group homes and day programs and found the public often was unaware of the tragedies because of secrecy and inaccurate reporting. Tribune reporters identified 1,311 cases of documented harm dating back to summer 2011 — hundreds more cases than the state had publicly reported. In response, state officials retracted erroneous reports and promised widespread reforms. Group homes are supposed to provide freedom and independence for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. But a Tribune investigation found that residents often fail to receive proper care while state regulators hide problems from the public in sealed files. Among other issues, Thursday’s report by Auditor General Frank Mautino’s office found communication failures between various divisions within Human Services. For example, the audit noted, officials who license the group homes “routinely” did not receive findings and reports from those who investigate abuse, neglect and exploitation complaints. That allowed vulnerable adults to languish in facilities where serious deficiencies persisted, auditors said. The audit was conducted after legislators approved a resolution introduced by state Rep. Charlie Meier early last year. Meier said he will push for statewide legislative hearings this year “to improve the way our state cares for the developmentally disabled.” “This audit reaffirms that more work must be done to improve the quality of care our most vulnerable population should expect to receive. Not all group homes are bad, but there is no excuse for these mistakes to happen again,” said Meier, a Republican from Okawville who has long worked with citizens in his district to keep open the Murray Developmental Center in Centralia. “Since 2015 the state has made improvements; however, there is always room for improvement.” State officials haven’t disputed broad findings by the Tribune and an earlier auditor general review. But they note the latest audit doesn’t include various improvements now being carried out. For example, Human Services spokeswoman Meghan Powers said group homes — officially known as Community Integrated Living Arrangements, or CILAs — began to be ranked on a web-based scorecard in May. The scorecard includes inspection results and links to online copies of investigative findings involving abuse, neglect or financial exploitation, though the state is blacking out the addresses to protect patient privacy. “The scorecard helps to demystify the process of choosing a home for people with disabilities,” Powers said. “It also helps families, advocates and anyone who is interested see an accurate and thorough depiction of one home or an entire CILA provider. This was a large step in (the department’s) agenda to promote transparency and collaboration within the department.” She noted the department in the last three years also has more than doubled the number of staff members charged with investigating allegations of abuse and neglect in the group homes. TRIBUNE WATCHDOG SUFFERING IN SECRET: Flawed investigations ignore victims of neglect JoAnna Mullis sits next to the grave of her mother, Tina Marie Douglas, who was fatally struck in traffic after fleeing her Lockport group home in 2013. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) By Michael J. Berens and... The expansive audit identified weaknesses in the state’s process for licensing the group homes, including failures to publish accurate survey data, complete timely annual reviews and document whether deficiencies were corrected. It also noted missed opportunities to revoke licenses after repeated violations. Auditors cautioned those failures can put vulnerable adults at risk of injury. And, despite past published warnings of financial abuses, the report said, the state still does not monitor residents’ personal funds, which are maintained by group home providers. Advocates such as the Arc of Illinois and the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities said Thursday that they still are reviewing the findings, but they agreed much more work needs to be done to improve services. “As a state we need to ensure the safety and security of people with disabilities regardless of where they live — home, community or institutions,” said Meg Cooch, Arc’s executive director. “In addition to reviewing their oversight process, we believe that the state must greatly increase the investment in home and community-based services and supports in order to ensure not just safety and security, but that people with disabilities can be full participants in communities across Illinois.” Added ICDD Director Kimberly Mercer-Schleider: “We remain committed to holding an expectation that at minimum all people deserve to live free of threat of abuse and neglect. Compliance measures are a floor, not a ceiling.” The audit also addresses the taxpayer money used for Illinois’ transition from large institutions to smaller group homes. A majority of states have shuttered or downsized state institutions, some with troubled histories of abuse and substandard care. Two state centers in Illinois have been closed since 2009, and the remaining seven facilities are much smaller than they were. Overall, state centers hold about 1,600 adult residents, compared with 2,500 residents a decade ago. Murray shelters about 220 residents, down more than 100 from a decade ago. The center receives support from Rep. Meier and families of its residents through a parents association that was formed in 1971 and evolved into a politically savvy grass-roots force. Many improvements over the years, from an outdoor swimming pool to enclosed courtyards and gardens, were funded by families and the Centralia community. Area seniors volunteer as foster grandparents. Unlike his predecessor, Pat Quinn, Gov. Bruce Rauner has supported keeping Murray open. TRIBUNE WATCHDOG A TROUBLED TRANSITION In the rush to close institutions, Illinois ignored serious problems in group homes Mark Winkeler needs 24-hour care and has lived his entire adult life at Murray Developmental Center. His mother, Rita, and others sued when the Quinn administration sought... State auditors found problems with the transition process in which the state moved more than 400 residents from state centers into the smaller placements. Auditors found a lack of documentation on whether some residents consented to the move, whether their family members or guardians were involved and whether the department and its contracted service providers conducted proper follow-up visits with the residents. Auditors also found “weaknesses in the oversight” of a multimillion-dollar contract to the company that provided the transition planning and support. Department officials told auditors the contract and renewal were handled by the governor’s office. Quinn was governor at the time. According to the audit, the department paid more than $6 million to Community Resource Associates under “questionable procurement strategies” and with no documentation to support the need for the services. Auditors said the company was also paid more than $233,000 after its contract ended to assist in closing one of the facilities even though those follow-up services were already built into the original contract. “These strategies kept the services from being competitively procured and made it impossible to tell whether the state received the best deal for the funds paid,” the audit said. Meier and Rita Winkeler, president of the Murray parents’ group, said they felt “vindicated” by the audit’s findings. Meier said he’ll push for the statewide hearings beginning this summer. “We should bring stakeholders from throughout the state and hold public hearings in southern Illinois, central Illinois, northern Illinois and Chicago,” Meier said. “This audit released will help us learn more about what went wrong and how Illinois can improve the quality of care for our most vulnerable. It shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach for caring for our developmentally disabled.” [email protected] Twitter @christygutowsk1 Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-met-illinois-group-home-audit-20180719-story.html# |
| Treatment center for troubled children accused of physically abusing patients By: NBC4 Staff Posted: Jul 20, 2018 05:02 PM EDT Updated: Jul 20, 2018 05:02 PM EDT AddThis Sharing Buttons Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to PrintShare to EmailShare to More154 Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. COLUMBUS (WCMH) -- A south side residential treatment center for troubled children agreed to discharge all of its residents this week amid allegations that staff members were physically abusing the children. An investigative report by Disability Rights Ohio concluded that the residents of the Heritage of Hannah Neil complex on Obetz Rd were exposed to physically abusive behavior, inappropriate restraint techniques, unsanitary conditions and a poorly supervised and unstructured environment. Kirstin Sjoberg, Director of Advocacy at Disability Rights Ohio says the residents placed at Hannah Neil are victims of some form of trauma. “They went there because of trauma and in need of treatment and they didn’t get that,” Sjoberg said. “Instead they were exposed to further trauma.” Sjoberg, says the residents, who range in age from 5 to 18, were kicked, choked and inappropriately restrained by staff members at the Center. She says the investigation found numerous unreported incidents and a glaring absence of programming. “This is a place that’s supposed to be providing mental heath treatment to kids who need it and there was, based on what we saw in the video and based on the documents we asked for, there was no structured programming for these kids being provided by Hannah Neil,” Sjoberg said. Eastway Behavioral Healthcare, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the facility said it is working with state officials to correct the problems. In a statement, Eastway CEO John Strahm said they have begun a comprehensive restructuring including new leadership and re-examination of all policies and procedures. “We are committed to thoroughly and diligently completing the process necessary to ensure that the environment is healthy, supportive and nurturing for the children in our care. We pledge to restore Hannah Neil’s residential program to those standards of care that we have always worked so hard to achieve and to regain the confidence of the public, state service institutions and our clients,” said Strahm. Eastway said the facility will remain open for outpatient and day treatment programs. Source: https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/treatment-center-for-troubled-children-accused-of-physically-abusing-patients/1313365729 |
| Brighton juvenile detention center counselor accused of sexually assaulting young inmate for years The alleged assaults happened at the Adams County Youth Services Center SBy Elizabeth Hernandez | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: July 20, 2018 at 1:38 pm | UPDATED: July 20, 2018 at 3:22 pm A counselor at a Brighton juvenile detention center is charged with sexual assault on a child related to contact with a juvenile inmate at the facility, according to a 17th Judicial District news release on Friday. Courtesy of 17th Judicial District Michelle Sarillo is accused of sexually assaulting a young inmate while Sarillo worked as a counselor at a Brighton juvenile detention facility. Michelle Theresa Sarillo, 29, is charged with one count of sexual assault on a child by a person in position of trust and one count of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust as a pattern of abuse. The alleged assaults happened between Sept. 26, 2015 and Feb. 15, 2017 when Sarillo was a counselor at the Adams County Youth Services Center, according to the news release. The juvenile just turned 16 when the assaults began. Related Articles Repeat child sex offender exposed by vigilante Facebook group, arrested in Greeley Boulder rapist back in Colorado after alleged parole violations in California Massage therapist accused of sexually assaulting woman in Longmont set for December trial Longmont man sentenced to prison in sexual-assault case Longmont man to stand trial in December for violent sexual assault A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sarillo on July 24 at 1:30 p.m. Sarillo’s bond is set at $20,000. Source: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/07/20/michelle-theresa-sarillo-sex-assault-adams-county-youth-services-center/ |
| NH settles another child abuse lawsuit By MARK HAYWARD New Hampshire Union Leader July 21. 2018 7:38PM The state DCYF and a private social service agency that rushed through the licensing of a foster home are being sued by the mother of a young boy who suffered brain injuries at the foster home, according to records and reports filed in court in connection with the case. DCYF, CASA, Spaulding Youth Center lose lawsuit to silence Union Leader on toddler injured in foster care A 22-month-old boy suffered traumatic brain injury at the hands of foster parents whose license was rushed through by child protection workers, according to records and reports contained in a lawsuit brought by his mother. Allegations in the 3-year-old case include claims that a private social service agency based in Northfield, the Spaulding Youth Center, ignored proper procedures for investigating the foster home and missed obvious red flags. In doing so, child-protection workers placed the toddler and his days-old sister in a foster home headed by a foster mom with family problems who had previously experienced the death of a baby under her foster care. The lawsuit initially implicated the state’s child protection agency, the Division for Children, Youth and Families. After an initial version of this story appeared on unionleader.com Friday, Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers contacted the New Hampshire Union Leader and said the state has paid $475,000 to settle its share of the lawsuit. He called the injury “very tragic.” On Friday, Superior Court Judge Kenneth Brown rejected calls by lawyers representing the boy’s mother and Spaulding to prohibit the publication of this article. According to a heavily redacted judge’s order, DCYF received several reports about the child during a four-month period. Police also were notified. And the child’s natural mother, who had lost custody temporarily, had complained about signs of abuse during a hearing, court records show. Then in October 2014, police were called to the Northfield home of George and Noreen Stohrer for the report of a boy unconscious and not breathing. Diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, the boy, now 5, struggles with cerebral palsy, wide-ranging developmental delays and aggressive behavior, according to William H. Burke, a Portsmouth psychiatrist who wrote a rehabilitation and life care plan for the child. He faces a future of therapy, specialized education and expert medical care. Court papers say he was found in his bed unresponsive and covered in vomit. When brought to the hospital, he had bleeding and bruising on his brain and bleeding in the light-sensitive area behind his eye. “It appears ... that both DCYF and Spaulding Youth Center attempted to fast-track approval of this resource home and they were desperate to secure a timely placement for the children. In doing so, they placed the children’s lives in jeopardy by failing to conduct a thorough home study and closing their eyes to any issues or concerns that arose,” reads a critical review of the placement process written by Debra Schilling Wolfe, a University of Pennsylvania expert on child abuse. The mother’s lawyers hired Wolfe to review the case. Foster mother charged Merrimack County prosecutors brought two felony assault charges against the foster mother, Noreen Stohrer. She eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment. A judge sentenced her to a year of home confinement and prohibited her from working with children or being a foster parent. A lawsuit filed in August 2015 in Hillsborough County Superior Court-North named DCYF, the Spaulding Youth Center and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire as defendants. Under state law, it was filed under seal, but Superior Court Judge Gillian Abramson has unsealed a small portion of the case file. A lawyer representing Spaulding said the lawsuit is not new, but since it is ongoing he cannot add anything beyond the statements already been made in court. “Spaulding Youth Center believes that its actions in this matter were consistent with professional standards and has expert opinions supporting that position, which will be presented in the course of the legal action,” said Manchester lawyer Brad Cook in an email. A judge has dismissed the case against CASA. This suit surfaced two months after the state of New Hampshire paid out $6.75 million to the grandparents of two young girls brutally molested by their natural parents while under the care of DCYF. And while that lawsuit concentrated on shortcomings of a state agency, the Spaulding suit sheds light on agencies that contract with the state to perform social service work, in this case foster parenting and child protection. Role of private agencies According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, eight private agencies, including Spaulding, identify and recommend foster homes, although DCYF makes the final decision on licensing. Those agencies — which include Easterseals New Hampshire, Child and Family Services, and Ascentria Care Alliance — manage 118 foster homes. DCYF manages 605, according to DHHS. Department spokesman Jake Leon said the opioid crisis makes it important to provide safe environments for children, and the private social service agencies assist by bringing more foster families into the system. The lawsuit involves teams of lawyers on both sides. Manchester lawyer Peter Hutchins, who handled many of the New Hampshire priest-sex abuse cases against the Catholic church in the 2000s, brought the suit. Hutchins said he filed it under seal as required by state law. He said there may soon be a valid reason to unseal the case. “Cases like this include a lot of important circumstances that should be made public,” Hutchins said. The Union Leader has challenged the decision to seal the case, and a judge has scheduled a hearing for Aug. 2 on that request. Earlier this month, the Union Leader reviewed expert reports that Hutchins’ team inadvertently filed publicly in connection to the case. One expert noted that New Hampshire had lost 270 foster homes over a four-year period that ended in April 2014, and the state was desperate to find a home for the boy and his sister when the baby was born. The children’s mother was a heroin addict, and officials wanted her children placed in a home when it was time for the newborn to leave the hospital. “I have no general options at this point,” Whitney Linscott of DCYF wrote to several agencies in April 2014. Screening the foster family DCYF workers found a family they thought could step in. The Stohrers had moved to New Hampshire in November 2013 and had a foster care license still in force in New York state. DCYF identified the Stohrers on April 15, 2014, and instructed Spaulding on what steps the agency should take to get the two children into the home. The baby was placed in the home on April 17, 2014, the same day that DCYF’s sister agency, the state Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services, issued an unspecified clearance, according to a report. The Stohrers cleared the Central Registry, a database of child-abuse complaints, on April 22. The Stohrers signed their foster home application on April 23, and the toddler was placed seven days later. The local police check was dated April 23, and New Hampshire criminal clearances arrived May 6. Health and fire inspections did not take place before the placement, and the full license was not issued until June 2. More important, Spaulding Youth Center treated the licensing as a relicensing, which is reserved for families with a New Hampshire license. A Spaulding worker copied and pasted information from the Stohrers’ New York license into New Hampshire paperwork. Had an original licensing investigation taken place, many issues could have been found, according to experts hired by the family’s lawyer. For example, Noreen Stohrer wrote in her New York application: “We have faced hardships in our marriage and they were mostly related to family. We tried working them out but when we finally realized that they were destroying us we chose to move away from the problems. We moved to my home state New York.” Other potential problems: • Noreen told New York authorities that her son “passed away as a direct result of 9/11,” but she later acknowledged to police he was alive. • The family’s relationship with their daughter and her children is estranged. • A sickly baby that Noreen fostered in New York died under her care, taking his last breath with Noreen at a supermarket. • Noreen’s medical problems include strokes. • Spaulding workers never interviewed a New York foster child whom the Stohrers had adopted, which is a violation of procedures. Daniel Pollack, a professor of social work at Yeshiva University in New York, said Spaulding’s failure to check the accuracy of the information on the Stohrer file, the scant home study and the failure to interview the foster son amounted to a breach of care. Once the child was injured, police spoke to the Stohrers’ adopted son, then 18, and got an idea of what life might have been like for the toddler inside their home. Noreen seemed more and more “crazy” after the foster baby died in New York, he said. She hit the foster children she cared for in New York, and in New Hampshire, she took a wooden spoon to the bottom of the toddler if he cried or misbehaved. She placed his hands over his mouth when crying. And she and George used the word jigaboo and another crude racial epithet to refer to the boy. “Life inside the Stohrers’ Northfield home was like hell,” he told police. Noreen, the adopted son said, was “mentally unstable.” He moved out the day she kicked him in the ribs and poured a drink over his head. “The Stohrers’ adopted former foster child ... was in the best position to report on the Stohrers’ abilities and shortcomings as foster parents. Had all of these concerns been pursued and addressed during the licensing process, it is my opinion that Spaulding Youth Center should not have issued a license to the Stohrer foster home,” Wolfe wrote. Commissioner Meyers said DHHS did not initially disclose the settlement to a reporter because of some confusion about a reporter’s inquiry. DHHS worked out the settlement with Attorney General lawyers, and it was approved by the judge overseeing the case, he said. “The Department acknowledges its responsibility to keep children in foster care safe, and that is why we have undertaken multiple efforts since these events occurred to strengthen these protections and keep children safe,” he said. He said legislation recently passed that authorizes new resource workers to increase foster care licensing capacity. In late 2016, DCYF implemented the SAFE home study, a more rigorous and trauma-informed assessment of potential foster and adoptive families. And Meyers brought a new leadership team into DCYF. CASA was also sued in the case, but Judge Gillian Abramson granted a motion to dismiss the suit against the agency, which provides trained volunteers to advocate for kids in court. Hutchins said state procedures allow him to appeal the decision to drop CASA once the underlying case is resolved. “I’m not letting CASA off the hook on this,” he said. “I’m committed to appealing it. They’re a corporate entity.” [email protected] Source: http://www.newhampshire.com/courts/mother-of-child-that-suffered-brain-damage-at-hastily-licensed-foster-home-sues-dcyf-20180720 |
| Brooklyn Park couple charged with murder in death of foster child Brooklyn Park couple charged with murder in death of foster child By WCCO | Posted: Sat 7:42 AM, Jul 21, 2018 | Updated: Sat 8:01 AM, Jul 21, 2018 BROOKLYN PARK (WCCO) – A Brooklyn Park couple has been charged with murder in the death of their 3-year-old foster child. Sherrie Dirk, 33, was arrested Thursday evening. Bryce Dirk, 31, was arrested late Friday morning. Bail is set at $2 million each. According to a petition to terminate the parental rights of the Dirks’ four other children, police were called to the couple’s Brooklyn Park home on Nov. 6 because the 3-year-old was not breathing. Police said Sherrie Dirk had wrapped the girl with three sheets between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and left her in a room with the door closed. The child was left unattended until just before the 911 call at about 6:30 p.m., when Bryce Dirk entered the room. One of the sheets was found around the girl’s neck. When police arrived, the child was found severely dehydrated. Police said that since the girl had arrived at the couple’s home, she lost weight and had gone from the 98th percentile in weight to the 13th percentile weeks before her death. A Hennepin County grand jury indicted the couple on charges of first- and second-degree murder that include allegations of child abuse, endangerment, neglect and malicious punishment. Brooklyn Park Police removed the other children from the home the night the girl was found dead. They have been placed in protective care, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office filed a Child in Need Of Protection and Safety petition so the county could have immediate jurisdiction over the children and keep them in protective care. The petition was later amended to termination of parental rights after further investigation by police and Hennepin County Child Protection. Source: http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/Brooklyn-Park-couple-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-foster-child-488796071.html |
| Parents of teen allegedly molested at Lighthouse Care Center file suit By Sandy Hodson Monday Posted Jul 23, 2018 at 4:45 PM Updated Jul 23, 2018 at 4:45 PM Share The parents of a second child sexual assault victim have filed suit against the Lighthouse Care Center, where their 14-year-old daughter reported being sexually assaulted and harassed by the admissions coordinator. Timothy Carroll, 38, is in jail awaiting trial on 11 counts of sexual assault on the 14-year-old and a second girl. He has pleaded not guilty in Richmond County Superior Court. On Thursday, a Richmond County Superior Court lawsuit was filed on behalf of “Jane Doe” and her parents against Lighthouse Care Center, a residential treatment center for children with severe psychological and behavior issues, and Universal Health Services, which owns 200 psychiatric facilities, including Lighthouse. According to the lawsuit, the 14-year-old was transferred to Lighthouse from another care facility on July 12, 2017, after a suicide attempt. Her mother called Lighthouse to speak to someone about her daughter and was transferred to Carroll. She allegedly told Carroll that her daughter was sexually reactive because of sexual abuse or exposure as a young child. She wanted the center’s staff to know so they could ensure her daughter did not have contact with any males. According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 21, 2017, Carroll removed the girl from her housing unit and took her to his office, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted and photographed. Another employee noticed Carroll in his office alone with the child and reported it to a manager, but no investigation took place. When Carroll returned her to her housing unit and was confronted by another staff member about the extensive time he had been with the child, Carroll allegedly lied and no further inquiry was made. The next day, when one or two other residents whom the 14-year-old told about the abuse reported it to a staff member, the teen was questioned and disclosed what had happened. But when Carroll entered the room where the girl had just disclosed sexual abuse at his hands, he was allowed to take the teen to his office. There he allegedly asked her to have sex. Carroll was the third Lighthouse employee to be accused of sexually assaulting child residents. Jacey Haskell has pleaded not guilty to a sexual assault charge. Chris Calhoun pleaded guilty to molesting a former patient whom he met at Lighthouse. He was sentenced in July 2017 to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years on probation. The lawsuit filed Thursday is the second civil suit filed on behalf of the alleged victims of abuse at the Lighthouse. Source: http://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20180723/parents-of-teen-allegedly-molested-at-lighthouse-care-center-file-suit |
| Woman sentenced in illegal sexual relations case Houston Herald • [email protected] Jul 24, 2018 0 1 min to read Facebook Twitter Email TEXAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save A West Plains woman accused of having illegal relations late last year with a resident at the Gentry Residential Treatment Center in Cabool has been sentenced to five years probation. Online court records show Lorin Trick, 23, pled guilty May 22 to a class E felony charge of sexual contact with a prisoner while employed at the correctional facility for boys. According to a Cabool Police Department report, a Missouri out-of-hHome investigator on Dec. 19, 2017, requested an officer meet her at the Gentry facility regarding a hotline call she was following up on indicating a female worker at the facility had oral sex with one of the students. The call had reportedly been placed after two students told a staff member they had witnessed the incident take place in a dorm room. Trick was fired from the facility on Dec. 21. She was also sentenced to 20 days shock time in the Texas County Jail. Source: https://www.houstonherald.com/news/woman-sentenced-in-illegal-sexual-relations-case/article_2763d712-8f3a-11e8-bc2d-47372e128b52.html |
| $15M lawsuit against DHS claims foster parent abuse By: Gabrielle Karol Posted: Jul 26, 2018 07:09 PM PDT Updated: Jul 27, 2018 11:55 AM PDT Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Oregon Department of Human Services, April 30, 2018 (KOIN) Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Oregon Department of Human Services, April 30, 2018 (KOIN) PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Oregon's Department of Human Services allegedly placed two brothers with a foster parent who was physically, emotionally and sexually abusive, according to a new lawsuit filed against the agency Thursday. The complaint, which seeks at least $15 million in damages, claims that DHS employees placed the boys with an uncle who was unfit to serve as a foster parent, instead of their paternal grandfather. According to the lawsuit, the uncle, Derric Campbell, was himself the subject of repeated DHS interventions. Campbell was physically, emotionally and sexually abused by his stepfather, who was eventually arrested on charges related to child pornography. Campbell's mother suffered from mental health issues and addiction, and reportedly killed herself in front of a teenage Campbell. Lawyers for one of the boys claim in the suit that because of these issues, and Campbell's own previous suicide attempts, the agency should have known Campbell, who was 27 at the time, would be an unfit foster parent. The lawsuit claims Campbell was struggling financially and had been homeless. According to the complaint, "At that time, Campbell was so destitute that he bummed money from the children’s counselor to buy food." Campbell allegedly allowed the boys to eat only one bologna sandwich a day, causing one of the children to lose significant weight. That same child was whipped with a belt and burned with a lighter – incidents the lawsuit claims were reported to DHS. The complaint alleges that the boys' grandfather sought guardianship, which was contested by DHS. The boys remained in Campbell's care until 2016, when the second child was admitted to the hospital experiencing hallucinations. He eventually disclosed that Campbell had been sexually abusing him. A criminal complaint filed in Union County Circuit Court charged Campbell with two counts of felony sex abuse in the first degree and two counts of misdemeanor harassment involving a sexual part. The charges stem from incidents that occurred starting in July 2013 – one month after the boys' grandfather had requested custody. Campbell's trial was set to begin on August 3, 2017. The newly filed lawsuit says he committed suicide two weeks prior to the trial's start. A motion to dismiss the charges against Campbell was filed on July 26, 2017, citing his death. Attorneys Steven Rizzo and Mary Skjelset of law firm Rizzo Mattingly Bosworth are representing the child in the suit against DHS. Rizzo and Skjelset could not be reached for comment Thursday. Rizzo and Skjelset filed a $100 million lawsuit against the agency in April involving the physical and sexual abuse of foster children in Marion County; that case is still making its way through the court system. In 2015, Rizzo won a record $15 million settlement in a lawsuit against the agency for a case in which 9 foster children were abused by their state-appointed foster father. A spokesperson for the Department of Human Services told KOIN 6 News the agency "can't comment on active lawsuits." Source: https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/-15m-lawsuit-filed-against-dhs-claims-foster-parent-abused-boys/1327015490 |
| Boys home in Burnet County raided amid allegations of abuse Burnet officials: No charges filed yet following raid of boys home July 27, 2018 By 4:30 p.m. update: BURNET -- Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd said no charges have been filed yet against the operator of a troubled boy's home near Bertram where eight boys were removed this week. The operator of the Joshua Home, Gary Wiggins, has talked to authorities, Boyd said. He said officials are concerned that a lawn care service and a moving company that used the boys at the home may have been operating illegally. AdChoices ADVERTISING Boyd declined to say what tipped off authorities about the home but said the investigation began a few weeks ago. He said the home was unlicensed and included living quarters and a school. He said one boy had run away from the home. Update: Law enforcement officials are scheduled to hold a news conference at 4 p.m. Friday in Burnet to give more details about the investigation that led to the removal of all eight boys from the Joshua Home in Bertram. A residential home for troubled boys in Burnet County was raided on Wednesday as part of an investigation into abuse and human trafficking at the facility, officials said on Friday. The Burnet County sheriff’s office said it has been working with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers, among other agencies, on a weeks-long investigation into Joshua Home, which is located in Bertram and affiliated with the nonprofit group Joshua Home Ministries. Officials said they have received allegations of abuse, neglect, labor violations, fraud, licensing violations, and human trafficking at Joshua Home, and on Wednesday, executed a search warrant at the facility in the 2500 block of FM 243 West. Eight boys ranging in age from 10 to 17 have been removed from the home and placed with Child Protective Services until they can be reunited with their parents, who all live out of state, authorities said. Officials said none of the boys are related to the directors or staff at the facility. The Burnet County sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information about Joshua Home, Joshua Home Ministries, Joshua Home Lawn Care, Joshua Home Movers, or JJW Home Services to call the investigations division of the at 512-756-8080 or email [email protected]. Source: https://www.statesman.com/news/local/just-boys-home-burnet-county-raided-amid-allegations-abuse/j5Zzy5MQQLNIX3YEFKPxAL/ |
| Plea Hearing Set for Former CALO Worker Who Slept with Teen August 4, 2018 By KRMS Newsroom Leave a Comment A Lake Ozark man accused of having sex with a teenage girl he met while working at a center for troubled teens will be back in court next week. Bradley Ryan Russell is expected to enter a plea at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning. He’s charged with two counts each of second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy. Russell was 21 years old when he allegedly had sex at least twice with a 14-year old girl that he befriended while working at CALO in Lake Ozark. Source: https://www.krmsradio.com/plea-hearing-set-for-former-calo-worker-who-slept-with-teen/ |
| Police: Group home worker falsely claimed fire drill training DON LEHMAN [email protected] Don Lehman reporter Aug 3, 2018 9 Facebook Twitter Email Bover Subscribe for 33¢ / day Facebook Twitter Email Print Save KINGSBURY — A supervisor at a state group home for the disabled has been charged with seven felonies for allegedly falsifying records to indicate that fire drills were done when they were not, police said. Katherine R. Bover, 30, of Spring Brook Way, Kingsbury, was charged with six counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, and one count of offering a false instrument for filing, all felonies, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. She is accused of filing false reports indicating that mandatory fire drills were done at the state-run home at 56 Green Barn Road. “Fire drills are utilized to establish a plan to evacuate residents and staff in the event of an evacuation. The fire drills evaluate each individual and take into account how each individual’s evacuation abilities are affected by temporary illnesses, injury or progression of their disabilities,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Sheriff’s Senior Investigator Kristen Hardy said the investigation began with information from a co-worker of Bover’s. Bover was released pending prosecution in Kingsbury Town Court. Sheriff’s Investigator Greg Danio investigated the case, assisted by the state Justice Center. Bover has worked for the state Office of People with Developmental Disabilities for nearly three years, and was paid $53,180 last year. The charges are each punishable by up to 4 years in state prison. Bover was placed on “administrative leave” after the allegations were uncovered, and the state will seek to fire her, said OPWDD spokeswoman Jennifer O’Sullivan. “OPWDD takes the safety and security of the people we support very seriously,” O’Sullivan said in an email. “Fire drills are used to ensure that the people we support and their staff are fully trained and prepared for the possibility of a fire in their home. Falsification of fire drill reports is a very serious matter and OPWDD seeks the termination of any employee found to have committed this conduct.” The felony arrest at a state group home in Washington County was the second in less than a month. A Granville woman who allegedly hit a disabled resident at a home where she worked in Fort Edward was arrested last month as well. Source: https://poststar.com/news/local/police-group-home-worker-falsely-claimed-fire-drill-training/article_48cdf96a-0c05-513c-8dd1-9578767963c1.html |
| Former Calo Employ Sentenced on Negotiated Plea August 9, 2018 By KRMS Newsroom Leave a Comment A Lake Ozark man originally charged with statutory rape and sodomy involving a 14-year old girl has entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge. Bradley Ryan Russell was given a suspended execution of sentence on seven years of incarceration with supervised parole. He plead guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. Russell met the girl in the course of his duty while employed at CALO – a center for troubled teens in Lake Ozark. The two engaged in consensual sex at least twice over the Thanksgiving holiday last year. (Disgusting way to report. It wasn't consensual if the minor was not of age to consent. Period.) Source: https://www.krmsradio.com/former-calo-employ-sentenced-on-negotiated-plea/ |
| Former resident at troubled youth facility shares story of sexual abuse by live-in counselor Topics: Kids on the Line By Lance Williams / August 8, 2018 Jay Franklin Wiggins, a counselor at the Daystar Residential Inc. treatment center in Texas, pleaded guilty to indecency with a child in 2011. He was sentenced to 10 years’ probation and was required to register as a sex offender. Credit: Texas Department of Public Safety During her troubled girlhood, Susan was sent to three different boarding schools to get help for drinking, drug use and cutting herself in times of despair. Immigrant children forcibly injected with drugs, lawsuit claims Doctor giving migrant kids psychotropic drugs lost certification years ago Forced drugging: Migrant children’s accounts Only at the Daystar Residential Inc. treatment center in South Texas were male counselors assigned to sleep overnight in houses occupied by teenage girls, she says. That is how in 2009, at age 15, she came to be sexually abused by a 43-year-old Daystar counselor. She says the experience sent her into a spiral of depression, methamphetamine abuse, heroin addiction and jail. “I always blamed myself – but he preyed on me,” she says of Jay Franklin Wiggins, the former Daystar live-in counselor who abused her. In 2011, he pleaded guilty to indecency with a child and was required to register as a sex offender. “It shows you how disgraceful the place was, letting a man sleep with the girls,” she says. Talking publicly for the first time, the former Daystar student, now 25 and in recovery, described an out-of-control environment at Daystar and the related Shiloh Treatment Center near Manvel, about 30 miles south of Houston. The jointly operated special-needs centers have been the target of repeated official investigations because of the deaths of five residents and other incidents of suspected child abuse. Although Daystar was shut down by the state of Texas in 2011, Shiloh remains in business, and in recent years, it has been paid millions of dollars by the federal government to house immigrant children in U.S. custody. As Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting has reported, immigrant children at Shiloh complain that they have been forcibly injected with powerful psychiatric drugs. Hill and Shiloh employees have not returned multiple calls by Reveal seeking comment. Don't miss the next big story. Brave investigations that change minds, laws and lives. Emailed directly to you. A July statement on Shiloh’s website says it has been investigated by various government agencies and “all of the widely distributed allegations about Shiloh were found to be without merit. The children have been found to be properly cared for and treated.” Susan’s account of her time at the school is supported by court records from the prosecution of Wiggins and the lawsuit she filed. Susan is a pseudonym; Reveal is not publishing her real name because she is a victim of sexual abuse. Wiggins declined to comment. Susan traces her emotional problems to a childhood trauma. At 8, in her family’s home near San Diego, she says she was molested by a family friend and suffered more abuse later. She became an angry, rebellious teen – drinking, smoking pot, running away with boys. At 13, after she had been hospitalized for cutting herself, her mother sent her to a treatment center in Montana. Two years later, in 2008, her mother sent her to Daystar. Her fellow students were a mix of girls, some with severe psychiatric disorders and others with behavior issues or drug problems, all housed together in double-wide trailers. The school itself was disorganized and undemanding, with no real curriculum or lesson plans, she says. Proprietor Clay Dean Hill, who ran the facilities through a network of corporations, paid special attention to her, she says. He asked her to play guitar and sing to him and even arranged for her to perform at a bar in Houston. Daystar seemed “kind of fun at the time,” she says. Still, she found it disconcerting that Wiggins, the counselor in her house, was sleeping in a small private room with one of the girls. Later, Susan was moved into a different trailer. Soon, Wiggins moved there, too. She began hanging out with him in the evenings, sitting with him in his pickup truck and smoking cigarettes. One night, he gave her an Ambien pill, she says, and they wound up in his bed in a room with four or five other girls. Wiggins, thinking the other girls were asleep, had sex with her. But one girl was awake, and the next day, angry and weeping, she told Susan that what Wiggins was doing was wrong and she was going to report him. Susan says Wiggins told her to lie to the counselor assigned to investigate, and Wiggins quickly was exonerated. Police never were called, she says. When the girl who reported the incident learned the outcome, “she went crazy – she had a breakdown,” and was forcibly restrained by counselors and taken away, Susan says. In July 2009, when she turned 16, Susan left Daystar and went home to her mother in San Bernardino County, California. Wiggins mailed her a cellphone so they could talk, and soon he arranged to visit. Wiggins told her mother that the girl was “like a daughter to me,” she says. On the visit, she says Wiggins twice took her to motels for sex. After Wiggins left, Susan says she began drinking heavily and using meth. Eventually, she was arrested at school for being under the influence. After she was released from juvenile detention, she says she broke down and told her mother about Wiggins, and her mother called the local sheriff. A detective arranged for her to call Wiggins and record the conversation. “We got him admitting to everything,” she says, and the counselor was arrested by Texas authorities. She called Wiggins a few times after he was freed on bail. On the last call, she says, “he ended up saying, ‘Clay Hill wanted me to tell you something: Keep your fucking mouth shut.” Wiggins pleaded guilty to indecency with a child, a third-degree felony. He was sentenced to 10 years’ probation. Wiggins’ arrest cheered her, but Susan continued to struggle with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Four years later, she hit rock bottom: living on the streets in San Diego, pregnant, addicted to heroin, “hustling men for dope and places to stay.” Arrested again, she wound up in a drug treatment program and her life started to turn around. Today, she has a job and two kids. “I have a good life now,” she says. But why, she asks, doesn’t somebody shut down that complex of shelters outside Manvel? Don't miss the next big story. Brave investigations that change minds, laws and lives. Emailed directly to you. This story was edited by Ziva Branstetter and Amy Pyle and copy edited by Nikki Frick. Lance Williams can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @LanceWCIR. Source: https://www.revealnews.org/article/former-resident-at-troubled-youth-facility-shares-story-of-sexual-abuse-by-live-in-counselor/ |
| Swansea man charged with ordering ketamine from Africa to Carver group home Share via e-mail To Add a message Your e-mail Print 36 Comments 36 Massachusetts State Police James W. Carey. By Danny McDonald Globe Staff August 09, 2018 A Swansea man was arraigned Thursday on a drug-dealing charge in connection with ordering shipments of ketamine from Africa to his home and the Carver adult group home where he works, according to the Plymouth district attorney’s office. James W. Carey, 39, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine at his arraignment in Wareham District Court. Carey was ordered held on $15,000 cash bail. Should he post bail, he must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, according to prosecutors. Carey is due back in court on Sept. 7. Massachusetts State Police The bottles seized at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Authorities allege that on Aug. 2 two packages sent from Cameroon were seized by federal investigators at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The packages had multiple bottles that were labeled “Natural Ginseng,” but tests determined that the packages contained 6.6 kilograms of liquid ketamine, which is an anesthetic used in human and veterinary medicine, according to prosecutors. Each liter bottle could produce 50 grams of powder ketamine, according to authorities. Advertisement The packages were addressed to Carey’s Swansea home and the place where he works in Carver, prosecutors said. Get Fast Forward in your inbox: Forget yesterday's news. Get what you need today in this early-morning email. Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here Upon the discovery of the ketamine, the packages were seized and turned over to Massachusetts State Police. That agency got search warrants for Carey’s home and his workplace. Authorities learned that the person’s name listed on the Carver package was a resident at the adult group home. On Aug. 8, the packages were delivered to both addresses, with an undercover US postal inspector delivering a package to the Carver group home around 3:30 p.m., prosecutors said. Carey told the inspector that the person the Carver package was addressed to was not home, and accepted the package, authorities said. A short time later, Carey was arrested by State Police. Police searched Carey’s workplace and home, seizing three cell phones and 3.3 kilograms of liquid ketamine in Carver, prosecutors said. Advertisement According to a statement from the Plymouth district attorney’s office, investigators uncovered “further evidence of Carey’s intent to distribute ketamine” at his Swansea home. The investigation is ongoing. Danny McDonald can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Danny__McDonald. Source: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/09/swansea-man-charged-with-ordering-ketamine-from-africa-carver-group-home/vgjgKj5yMUjhCSrMgQgXNI/story.html |
| Family sues after man's death following beating by fellow group home resident Michael Rohloff speaks about his disabled brother, Herbie, who died after being badly beaten by a fellow resident in a group home run by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois on Halloween 2017. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Michael Rohloff speaks about his disabled brother, Herbie, who died after being badly beaten by a fellow resident in a group home run by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois on Halloween 2017. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) SEE MORE VIDEOS Michael Rohloff speaks about his disabled brother, Herbie, who died after being badly beaten by a fellow resident in a group home run by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois on Halloween 2017. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/media/96096810-132.html# |
| Owner, employees arrested for alleged abuse at Indy group home Katie Cox 10:09 PM, Aug 14, 2018 11:28 PM, Aug 14, 2018 Share Article x According to court documents filed in the case, the company’s owner, Amelia Hagedorn got into a disturbance with a female at the facility over things being “unfair.” The woman then threw a ball at Hagedorn. The victim told police that she threw a ball at Hagedorn. After that, the victim said Hagedorn took the ball and hit her in the face with it while three employees, Sharita Belle, Danielle Moore and Carmele Journey-Starks, held her to the ground. Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. According to court documents filed in the case, the company’s owner, Amelia Hagedorn got into a disturbance with a female at the facility over things being “unfair.” The woman then threw a ball at Hagedorn. The victim told police that she threw a ball at Hagedorn. After that, the victim said Hagedorn took the ball and hit her in the face with it while three employees, Sharita Belle, Danielle Moore and Carmele Journey-Starks, held her to the ground. INDIANAPOLIS -- Five people are facing multiple charges after reports of abuse at an assisted living home in July. The charges stem from an investigation of Safe Journey LLC by Adult Protective Services and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. According to court documents filed in the case, the company’s owner, Amelia Hagedorn got into a disturbance with a female at the facility over things being “unfair.” The woman then threw a ball at Hagedorn. The victim told police that she threw a ball at Hagedorn. After that, the victim said Hagedorn took the ball and hit her in the face with it while three employees, Sharita Belle, Danielle Moore and Carmele Journey-Starks, held her to the ground. During the incident, the victim said the women forced her t-shirt over her mouth to keep her from yelling and started taunting her saying that “she smells and doesn’t shower.” They also told her that “her mother doesn’t love her.” In a video taken by another employee at the facility, police say staff members can be seen sitting on the victim while appearing to strike her multiple times in the head and face while other employees are restraining her. Police believe Clancy was present during the incident but did not report it to authorities. Photos that were taken of the victim after the incident showed bruising to her shoulder, face, neck and chest. Hagedorn, Bell, Journey-Starks and Moore have been charged with battery resulting in bodily injury to a disabled person and criminal confinement. Clancy has been charged with failure to report victimization. Hagedorn, Bell and Clancy were arrested Tuesday. Warrants have been issued for Journey-Starks and Moore. Source: https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/indianapolis/owner-employees-arrested-for-alleged-abuse-at-indy-group-home |
| Teacher held on child porn charges also a foster parent - Midland Reporter-Telegram Teacher held on child porn charges also a foster parent Updated 4:54 pm CDT, Thursday, August 16, 2018 1 / 1 Back to Gallery COLUMBIANA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama kindergarten teacher jailed on child pornography charges had been approved by the state to provide therapeutic foster care, authorities said Thursday. Daniel Prentice Donaldson, 26, of Montevallo, received the foster care certification in June through the United Methodist Children's Home, which acts as a contractor to provide care for the state, said Barry Spear, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Spear cited confidentiality laws in declining comment on whether Donaldson was caring for a 9-year-old boy who authorities described as being with the man at the time of his arrest at his home on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for the United Methodist Children's Home said in a statement Thursday that Donaldson had met all DHR training and licensing requirements prior to being licensed by UMCH. "Since 1890, UMCH has been dedicated to the highest standards in caring for vulnerable children, and will fully cooperate with all law enforcement in the investigation of Mr. Donaldson," said Rebecca Morris, the group's vice president of external affairs. The church-affiliated organization recruits and trains foster parents under its license, Spear said. Donaldson, who taught at Calera Elementary School, was jailed with bail set at $600,000 on 40 counts of possession of child pornography. Court records don't show whether he has a defense lawyer who could speak on his behalf. Maj. Ken Burchfield, a spokesman with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, said an investigation began with a tip. He said there was no evidence Calera students were victims in the child pornography cases. Donaldson has worked for Shelby County schools since 2015, when he began the first of two years as an aide under the guidance of a classroom teacher. He was beginning his second school year as a kindergarten teacher at the time of his arrest. Donaldson passed a criminal background check and has had no prior incidents of misconduct, officials said. "These charges are very serious in that they indicated alarming behavior by this teacher," said Shelby County Superintendent Randy Fuller. Source: https://www.mrt.com/news/education/article/Teacher-held-on-child-porn-charges-also-a-foster-13161484.php |
| Legal advocates file lawsuit against Buckeye Ranch residential treatment center Most Popular 13 By Rita Price The Columbus Dispatch Friday Posted Aug 17, 2018 at 12:29 PM Updated Aug 17, 2018 at 5:54 PM Share A legal advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit against The Buckeye Ranch, saying the residential treatment center denied investigators access to video footage and wouldn’t let them speak to children receiving care at the Grove City center. Disability Rights Ohio said it had received four reports of improper restraint at Buckeye Ranch in late July and wanted to assess the incidents. Disability Rights is the state’s federally designated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities, including mental illness, and it has authority to monitor service providers and to investigate abuse or neglect. “In the case of Buckeye Ranch, we had video evidence of abuse of the children in their care, which required additional investigation,” Michael Kirkman, executive director of Disability Rights, said in a news release. “We call on the court to uphold our access authority so we can investigate and hold accountable those who would abuse some of Ohio’s most vulnerable residents.” Buckeye Ranch said it wants to cooperate but does not believe that investigators had cause to demand immediate access to children without consent of parents or guardians. According to the lawsuit filed Thursday, Disability Rights had been requesting additional video of the incidents — all camera angles, as well as video of an hour before and an hour after the incidents — but Buckeye Ranch again refused. Disability Rights announced that it would visit the ranch on Thursday and wanted to interview the minors in the videos. Disability Rights also informed Buckeye Ranch of its intention “to interview all youth at the facility over the course of the next week,” the lawsuit says. Nick Rees, Buckeye Ranch president and CEO, said his organization asked for time to review the law and make arrangements. “They basically storm-trooper us,” he said. “Not only did they say they were coming, they said they’re coming at 2:30. Well, it was noon.” Rees said Buckeye Ranch has nothing to hide. “We have 88 children here. Do we pull them out of school? Out of appointments? So we find ourselves in a dispute and we say, ‘Hey, let’s work this out.’ And they won’t hear of it.” Interested in more stories like this one? Listen to The Other Side podcast: He said Buckeye Ranch will seek clarification from the court on the protection and advocacy law. Disability Rights often visits public and private programs in Ohio that provide care or treatment to people with disabilities or mental illness, and the advocacy group says it has the authority to do so with little or no notice when necessary. Disability Rights reported health and safety violations last month at The Heritage of Hannah Neil, a South Side residential program for troubled children. The investigation led state investigators to request that Hannah Neil discharge all residents while the center works on improvements. Source: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180817/legal-advocates-file-lawsuit-against-buckeye-ranch-residential-treatment-center |
| Former doctor guilty of raping heavily sedated patient will serve no prison time Posted 11:07 AM, August 19, 2018, by Tribune Media Wire, Updated at 11:06AM, August 19, 2018 Facebook Twitter Tumblr Reddit Pinterest Email HOUSTON — A former doctor found guilty of raping a heavily sedated patient will not serve prison time, according to the Houston Chronicle. On Friday, Shafeeq Sheikh was sentenced to 10 months of probation and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The judge, Senior District Judge Terry L. Flenniken, was required by law to follow the sentencing recommended by jurors, according to the paper. In 2013, a woman checked into Ben Taub Hospital after complaining of wheezing and shortness of breath. The woman, who was not one of Sheikh’s patients, was sedated and kept overnight at the hospital. According to the Houston Chronicle, Sheikh initially entered the woman’s room “after he noticed her breast implants.” Police said Sheikh entered the victim’s room several times and sexually assaulted her. In court, Sheikh admitted to sexual contact but claimed it was consensual. The victim reportedly tried to press a nurse’s button to get help but it was unplugged. Sheikh’s medical license was revoked in 2015, according to KIAH. A rape kit and hospital security cameras led to his arrest and conviction. Source: https://pix11.com/2018/08/19/former-doctor-guilty-of-raping-heavily-sedated-patient-will-serve-no-prison-time/ |
| SC man charged, caught on camera putting residential facility patient in chokehold Monday, August 20th 2018, 11:01 am PDTMonday, August 20th 2018, 11:02 am PDT COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A Columbia man has been charged for a May 2018 incident where surveillance camera footage showed him getting physical with a person at Correct Care Recovery Solutions. According to a SLED arrest warrant, Jah-King Davon James, 29, of Columbia, has been charged with one count of abuse of a vulnerable adult. It says in late May 2018, James allegedly grabbed the victim and placed him in a chokehold when he was a custody officer at Correct Care Recovery Solutions. The incident was captured on surveillance video and reported to SLED. When asked, James admitted to the incident to law enforcement. James was arrested on Monday and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. The case will be prosecuted by the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office. Correct Care Recovery Solutions provides services for behavioral health, residential treatment, and related services, according to its website. Source: http://www.wistv.com/story/38921494/sc-man-charged-caught-on-camera-putting-residential-facility-patient-in-chokehold |
| Hanna Boys Center counselor Kevin Thorpe sentenced to 21 years in prison for molesting boys MARY CALLAHAN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | August 21, 2018 X The "Follow This Story" feature will notify you when any articles related to this story are posted. When you follow a story, the next time a related article is published — it could be days, weeks or months — you'll receive an email informing you of the update. If you no longer want to follow a story, click the "Unfollow" link on that story. There's also an "Unfollow" link in every email notification we send you. This tool is available only to subscribers; please make sure you're logged in if you want to follow a story. Login X Please note: This feature is available only to subscribers; make sure you're logged in if you want to follow a story. LoginSubscribe Kevin Scott Thorpe, whose predatory conduct as a youth counselor at Hanna Boys Center nearly cost the 73-year-old institution its license last winter, was sentenced to 21 years in prison Tuesday for molesting four victims. Thorpe, first jailed in June 2017, sat expressionless in the jury box as Judge Dana Simonds pronounced a prison term agreed to by attorneys when the 40-year-old father of two pleaded no contest to 11 criminal counts last June. But there were tears in the courtroom as the mother of one young victim — a family friend of Thorpe, unrelated to the Hanna center — spoke at length about the betrayal of trust, the trauma inflicted upon her son and his entire family, and “the shame I felt at having let this monster into our home and into the heart of our precious son.” Another victim, in a letter read by a Sonoma County victim advocate, talked of his continual battle with darkness and his conflicting emotions over having been the first person to come forward and reveal Thorpe’s predilection for adolescent boys. “You follow me like a shadow I can’t escape, and I always feel your presence,” wrote the now 25-year-old Hanna Boys Center graduate, known in court as John Doe 1. “Because of this, I can’t find joy in life anymore without these thoughts ruining it. Sometimes I contemplate suicide. You didn’t just sexually abuse me. You groomed me to believe it was my fault.” A 14-year employee of the Sonoma Valley residential treatment center before he was fired last year, Thorpe worked as a counselor and, later, as clinical director, having contact with scores of vulnerable boys throughout his tenure. The state licensing agency, which considered yanking the facility’s license last winter due in part to lax rules and supervision that permitted Thorpe to abuse victims in his office and take them off campus to his home, has indicated at least seven Hanna residents were molested by Thorpe. Hanna made a variety of physical and operational changes to prevent abuse in the future, prompting state regulators to halt license revocation proceedings. Pattern of abuse Three Hanna clients became part of the criminal case, the subject of felony charges dating back to 2007 when newly arrived John Doe 1, then 13, was put on Thorpe’s case load. It wasn’t long before he was invited to view pornography and masturbate in his counselor’s office, he testified in court last May. Breaking down repeatedly on the witness stand, John Doe 1 described behavior that escalated to mutual masturbation, touching and oral sex. The victim, whose mother was a drug addict and whose father, a violent man, was in prison, described finding refuge and stability at Hanna Boys Center. He said Thorpe made it clear he would likely be “kicked out” if anyone learned of their relationship. Two other victims from Hanna, one of whom is John Doe 1’s brother, detailed complicated relationships that progressed in a similar manner, saying they felt Thorpe cared but that their presence at the treatment center would be at risk if they exposed him. “It is painful to me to think that you knew my background and you still took advantage of me,” John Doe 1 said in the letter read aloud in court. “You preyed on a kid who was already hurting, and you didn’t care a single bit. You are a monster disguised as a human.” Most Popular Stories Man fatally struck by SMART train in Rohnert Park Hero who stopped 2014 attack on local teen dies Canadian mom, 10-year-old daughter vanish after coming to Bay Area for camping trip Crew clearing California homeless camp kills sleeping woman Family of 5 escapes Santa Rosa house fire The fourth and most recent victim, known as John Doe 4, knew Thorpe through shared community. That young man, now 18, was 16 when Thorpe befriended him over the telling of a salacious joke. Though Thorpe was arrested before his conduct escalated to the point described by other victims, John Doe 4 nonetheless found himself nude with Thorpe on at least four occasions. They included one time where Thorpe touched his penis at the beach, another where they took a shower in Thorpe’s home with at least one of his young daughters, and a third in which the youth awakened to find Thorpe on top of him, naked, their teeth touching, according to court testimony. In total, Thorpe initially faced trial on 64 criminal counts, but in June agreed to plead no contest to just 11 in exchange for a reduced prison term. At the time, District Attorney Jill Ravitch said the agreement reflected the sometimes difficult task of persuading jurors that a person can be coerced into enduring sexual abuse through emotional force and a power differential without evidence of physical force. Written rebuke In the 23-page statement she read to the court Tuesday, the mother of John Doe 4 chastised Ravitch and the case prosecutor, Andrew Lukas, for underestimating jurors and their own eloquence in explaining the case. As a result, the woman said, Thorpe could eventually be released from prison and in a position to victimize others. “Ms. District Attorney, don’t sell yourself short,” she said. “Jurors are smart. You and Mr. Lukas are smarter. You would have won walking away.” Related Stories Former Hanna Boys Center director takes plea deal in sex abuse case Former Hanna Boys Center director to face trial on dozens of sex abuse charges The mother, whose name is being withheld by The Press Democrat to protect the identity of her son, also recounted her family’s continuing challenge to come to grips with what has happened, to fight the tendency for self-blame and to understand where culpability really lies. She described looking at her son’s victimization “through the clear lens of 20/20 hindsight until we were nearly stark raving mad,” and said she had struggled to find room for forgiveness when her faith demands it of her. She also referenced watching her son become depressed and anxious, lose weight and lose ground in school, and lose interest in activities that previously brought him joy. “We are aware that sexual abuse significantly increases the risk of developing health and social problems, such as drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness and marital strife, in both men and women,” she said. “While the court will pass judgment and impose a sentence on the defendant today, the jury is still out on the long-term consequences of his victims.” Reduced sentence Thorpe, who already has spent a year in custody, may only serve 80 percent of his prison term before his release, but will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. His attorney, Joe Stogner, reinforced in court Tuesday his belief that his client appreciates the profound pain and trauma he has caused and is working to understand his behavior and correct it. In his own letter to the court, Thorpe described how deeply he regrets his conduct and said he was grateful that his first accuser, John Doe 1, opened the door to recovery. “This needed to happen,” he wrote. “I feel horrible for the pain my actions have caused the victims. I am also aware that there are others who have been negatively impacted by my crimes. Every day I feel anger and frustration at myself for what I have done and the people I have hurt,” he wrote. John Doe’s 4’s mother rebuked Stogner for trusting a man who already has fooled so many about his true nature, posing as “a model citizen.” “He did not have ‘pedophile’ written on his name tag,” she said. “He was not the dangerous stranger I had described to my children. He was a close family friend who was invited into our home.” In his own statement, John Doe 1 said he feared “I can never have a normal life like I’ve yearned for since I was a kid.” “I hope that one day all of this is behind me, but I have yet to see it,” he wrote. “Even though you’re getting 20 years, I believe you still have it easier than me. Your actions will only affect you for 20 years, but for me and the other victims, your actions will affect forever.” Source: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8653714-181/hanna-boys-center-counselor-kevin?sba=AAS |
| Aide pleads guilty to manslaughter in Webster group home death August 24, 2018 05:33 PM Friday morning at the Hall of Justice, one of two former aides at a New York state-run group home in Webster pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person. Sarah DiLallo admitted that she was one of the aides that physically put Heather Roselli down on the floor inside the group home and restrained her on her stomach "for a prolonged period of time." Advertisement – Content Continues Below Roselli died at Rochester General Hospital on June 18, 2017. When questioned by prosecutor Leslie Schildt, DiLallo admitted that she knew what she did to Roselli was prohibited by state regulations and that it increased the risk that a resident like Roselli could die. Prosecutors say an aide put pressure on Roselli's body when she was lying facedown on the floor. In court when Schildt asked DiLallo if that happened, DiLallo said, "not me, but yes." Prosecutors could not pinpoint which aide applied the illegal and deadly pressure to Roselli's body. As part of her plea, DiLallo was promised by Judge Alex Renzi that her sentence will be no longer than one to three years in prison, as long as she cooperates with probation and doesn't get arrested between now and her sentencing date of Oct. 31. "We think that in light of everything in this case, including her background and the circumstances in this offense that she deserves the minimum sentence. Which, we think is probation," exclaimed DiLallo's attorney, Bill Easton. Another aide, Sandra Abdo, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in April. She will be sentenced to five years probation. "It doesn't necessarily save us much really," added Vincent Roselli, victim's Brother. "We've been sacrificing not having her in our lives. We've been dealing with this for over a year. I was ready to sit through another two weeks to see that things were handled the way they needed to be. Obviously, a plea does provide some kind of relief in a sense." He continued, "Her life was taken and nothing can bring that back. There's going to be some closure but the hurts always going to be there." The home on Pierce Road in Webster is still open and is operated by the Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Service Office. Source: https://www.whec.com/news/aide-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-in-webster-group-home-death/5044014/ |
| Boarding schools produce wounded leaders Those who go to private schools compensate for irredeemable loss by a bogus sense of entitlement that drags our politics into the mud, writes Nick Duffell Letters Wed 29 Aug 2018 12.52 EDT Last modified on Wed 29 Aug 2018 13.05 EDT Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Shares 106 106 Students line the top of a boundary wall at Eton college to watch teams playing the Eton Wall Game. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Melissa Benn makes an excellent and informed case for the knock-on social and educational damage inflicted on British society by the peculiar, continued fascination with our anachronistic system of private schools (How do we end the class divide?, The long read, 24 August). But it is mystifying that she does not refer to the growing body of psychological evidence, reported in five or so books over the past decade and half, that detail the psychological harm caused to many of the children of its customers, particularly those who were sent away to board. These children’s parental attachments were deliberately broken in the name of socialisation, and many in later life become what I have called “wounded leaders”, compensating for irredeemable loss by a bogus sense of entitlement that drags our politics into the mud. It is as if the cross-disciplinary revolution was not happening; or rather, as if psychology were still some crank subject that a classic public school teacher, living inside all our heads, would pooh pooh as “navel gazing”. It is alarming that even the left seems to be as caught up in this trance of denial as firmly as the good conservative folk of middle England. No wonder Europe seems so threatening to us, where pedagogy and civics are required study for many teenagers. Nick Duffell Author, Trauma, Abandonment and Privilege: A guide to therapeutic work with boarding school survivors (with Thurstine Basset) • Join the debate – email guardian Source: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/aug/29/boarding-schools-produce-wounded-leaders |
