|
Utah to Pull Youth Program's Permit
October 12, 2002
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY - The state will
revoke the license of a wilderness program for troubled teens after
two employees were charged with child-abuse homicide in the July 13
heat exhaustion death of a 14-year-old boy.
Ian August collapsed while on a
three-mile hike in sweltering heat in central Utah. Skyline Journey
director Mark Wardle and counselor Leigh Hale were charged in his
death.
The Utah Department of Human
Services said Friday it would revoke the program's license Oct. 25.
Lee Wardle, Mark Wardle's father
and Skyline's CEO, said the program would appeal, allowing it to
operate until administrative hearings are complete.
``The decision to revoke was based
on a thorough review of our investigation,'' Licensing Director Ken
Stettler said. ``We also used supporting evidence from law
enforcement and the medical examiner.''
After hiking about three hours,
August complained of thirst and refused to continue. A counselor
gave him water under a tarpaulin.
A couple hours later, while still
resting, August began moaning and fell backward. The counselor could
not find a pulse, and the boy was dead by the time emergency
personnel arrived two hours later.
Five children, including August,
have died during Utah wilderness programs since the state began
policing them in 1990. August's death reopened a debate on whether
the state's regulations are stringent enough.
The programs aim to help troubled
teens by teaching cooperation and self-reliance in a wilderness
setting.
|
