September 8, 2001
Group Probed in Death Has New
Class
Phoenix -- A group that ran a
"tough love" boot camp where a 14-year-old died this summer has a
new class registered for a program designed to teach discipline and
respect to troubled youngsters. About 20 children were expected to
arrive Saturday for the start of the 13-week Right-of-Passage
program, which is separate from the group's tougher desert boot
camps.
Police and some parents have
questioned whether the America's Buffalo Soldiers Re-Enactors Association should take in more children
since it remains under investigation in the July 1 death of boot
camp participant A.H..
"It makes me sick to my stomach,"
said Chris Hanner, whose son was sent home with other campers after
A.H.'s death.
No criminal charges have been
filed in A.H.'s death, and the autopsy report by the county Medical Examiner's Office
declared the death accidental. It said he died of complications from
near-drowning and dehydration after being made to stay in direct
sunlight for up to five hours in 111-degree heat.
Maricopa County Sheriff's
investigators, however, have alleged in a search warrant affidavit
that camp operators abused the campers, deprived them of adequate
food and water and denied medical care.
A year ago, participants in
another boot camp operated by the group reported that they were
kicked and subjected to other cruelty by drill instructors.
Authorities said no juveniles were injured, and no arrests were
made.
Lawsuits have been filed by
A.H.'s parents and by Cathy Mesa, who says her son was beaten,
forced to eat mud and deprived of sleep during the camp. Maricopa
County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Friday that he had hoped the group
would hold off further camps until the investigation was complete.
A.H.'s mother, M.H., was urging parents to reconsider sending their
children, said her attorney, Michael Wade.
Camp director Charles Long's
office directed phone calls to his attorney, David Burnell Smith,
who called A.H.'s death a "tragic accident." Smith said the death
hasn't changed camp procedures but it has made the staff more
sensitive to dehydration and other physical problems.
"What it has brought about is
more emphasis on watching the kids, making sure if they get any
indications that they need water, that they get water," Smith said.
"If they need any kind of medication, they will receive those."
Theresa Triplett, whose son has
attended two summer camps and four weekend programs held by Long's
group, believes the camp is safe. Her son is part of the new class.
"I understand that the parents
have fears and concerns," said Triplett, president of the Buffalo
Soldiers Parents Association. "But the program has helped a lot of
children."
Smith said the group's focus
after A.H.'s death was to continue with children who wanted to
finish the program.
"It's one of those unfortunate
accidents that everybody wishes they could change," Smith said. "We
don't think anybody was criminally responsible for this young man's
death."
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