Boy's death halts some referrals: Lehigh County
department won't send youths to Lancaster site
Morning Call Feb 9, 2006
Lehigh County's Human Services Department will stop referring
teens to a Lancaster County behavioral treatment center until an
investigation is completed into the death of an Allentown boy there.
Giovanni Aletriz, 16, died Saturday after being restrained by
staff at SummitQuest Academy in Ephrata, according to a preliminary
report by Ephrata police.
Aletriz, who had been a student at Dieruff High School, was being
restrained for disruptive behavior, police said.
Levi Price, Lehigh County's acting director of human services,
announced the decision Wednesday to suspend referrals to SummitQuest.
"I would think that's the responsible thing to do," Price said.
"There was a death and, until we know why, it's better safe than
sorry."
Lehigh County President Judge William H. Platt declined to say
whether county judges would take a similar approach. Generally, most
of the placements at such facilities occur through the juvenile
justice system and require court orders, he said.
"We will do what's right and appropriate," Platt said.
Meanwhile, Chris Hackman, a Lancaster County assistant district
attorney, said officials have not drawn conclusions about how
Aletriz died. An autopsy has been done, Hackman said, but toxicology
tests have to be performed before a cause and manner of death can be
determined.
Authorities have not decided whether a crime was committed, he
said.
"We're simply attempting to do a thorough investigation of what
is a tragic incident," Hackman said.
The death of another boy there two months ago was "completely
unrelated" to Aletriz's death, Hackman said. "He simply collapsed
after playing basketball and died of a heart attack," Hackman said
about the other boy.
In addition, the center is a defendant in a federal civil rights
lawsuit, accusing it of failing to prevent a teen resident from
being sexually assaulted by another resident. The teen was
repeatedly assaulted in 2004, despite the responsibility of the
staff to provide close supervision of the teens, according to the
suit.
The academy is a 129-bed state-licensed facility that opened in
March 2000. It provides various types of behavioral therapy for boys
aged 10 to 18.
Before ViaQuest Behavioral Health opened the center, the facility
operated under different management but had a similar mission to
help youths. The state refused to renew the license of the prior
operator, called the Terraces, after finding more than 20 violations
of state regulations, forcing it to close, the Lancaster New Era
reported.
Staff writer Romy Varghese contributed to this story.
grossman@mcall.com
610-820-6168
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