Riot at Eagle Point, Formerly Bethel Boys Academy

[Jeff_Berryman]

http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississipp ... 314750.xml


Seven students injured in Bethel home riot
Sunday, April 10, 2005
By MOLLIE REEVES
The Mississippi Press

LUCEDALE -- A riot at Eagle Point Christian Academy, formerly known as Bethel Boys Academy, in Lucedale Friday night led to six students being taken into custody and seven other being taken to the hospital.

 
The George County Sheriff's Department received a call reporting the riot just before 11 p.m. Friday. Two deputies responded to the call and upon arrival at Eagle Point, called for assistance due to the number of cadets involved, George County Sheriff Garry Welford said.

"They were destroying the place," Welford said. The cadets were breaking windows, turning bunks over, breaking chairs, and trashing the facility, he said.

Six cadets were reportedly uncooperative with law enforcement and charged with disorderly conduct. They were taken into custody and transported to Forrest County Juvenile Detention Center.

Welford said seven other cadets were taken to the hospital for treatment. Six were treated and released while one remained hospitalized.

Welford said it was reported to him by Eagle Point personnel that 122 cadets should have been in the barracks. By 3:30 a.m., all 122 were accounted for, Welford said.

Cadets reportedly told Welford that a rumor circulating through Eagle Point that the home was going to be investigated by the state was what led to the riot.

"They wanted to make it look as bad as they could," Welford said. "And they did."

John Fountain, director of Eagle Point, was out of town when the riot occurred, Welford was told. He was expected back in Lucedale sometime Saturday. Eagle Point personnel were notifying the parents of students housed there of the riot, Welford said.

Fountain could not be reached by phone on Saturday. An Eagle Point employee said no statements would be given at this time. No other details of the riot have been released due to the involvement of juveniles.

Sheriff's deputies remained at Eagle Point throughout the day on Saturday. "We're just trying to maintain peace and keep the community safe," Welford said.

Reporter Mollie Reeves can be reached at mreeves@themississippipress.com or (601) 947-9933.

[Anonymous]

Good for them! Nothing like a good riot to raise morale... too bad they couldn't burn the place to the ground. Oh well, there's always next time.

 :wave:

[Anonymous]

I don't know much abou this program - it looks like a program that had a bad reputation and changed names. I've heard that Fontain is quite abusive.  It's amazing how quick the police rally to support the programs instead of looking at the root cause of the disruption.

[BuzzKill]

To bad there is no mention of the new owners.

Even so, might be worth pointing this out to the good folks in Missery.

I am wondering how badly the boys are injured and who did the injuring? I hope they didn't beat each other up. But even if they did, might have been with the idea that it was what it was going to take to get people to hear them - to get a voice heard outside the walls so to speak - and not with any malice toward each other. But of corse I speculate. I hope they do some in depth follow up.

[Anonymous]

Thank you Buzzkill for pointing out that there where CHILDREN involved.  I was bothered by the post that suggested next time they include fire.  These are young boys who now have the memory of surviving a riot in addition to their memories from the program-whether their's be good or bad memories.  People, a RIOT!  No child should fear for their safety like this.  Please imagine the tiny 12 year olds these programs accept who surely had tears in their eyes and then again say next time burn the place.  Investigate, yes. Close it (if necessary), yes. But add greater risk, No.

And let's not forget about the six students that were arrested for being beligerent to officers.  These are the ones that I fear.  If a Police Officer with a weapon doesn't stop them, how can my 85 year old grandmother stand a chance against them on the streets?

[Anonymous]

Buzzkill again, who are these new owners that you make mention of?

[Anonymous]

I think the people to target are the folks at Forrest County Juvenile Detention Center.

Think about it. That's where the children were taken. Perhaps they need education about these programs and what they are about.

If you have some good information with evidence to back it up, why not get a hold of these people so they can get an idea about this industry. This is important, as well as giving the same information to the sheriff mentioned in the article.

Perhaps he's been bought off, perhaps not. Until we try we will never know.

[Watchaduen]

April 11, 2005
Riot rocks Lucedale academy


1 cadet missing, 9 arrested, 7 hurt after violent weekend

By Camille C. Spencer
caspencer@jackson.gannett.com

A manhunt for a missing student continued late Sunday in the wake of a weekend melee that left a dormitory building ravaged, seven cadets injured and nine cadets arrested at Eagle Point Christian Academy, a private school for troubled teen boys in Lucedale.

Four students, or cadets, ran away from the school Sunday afternoon. Three were caught less than a mile from the rural campus, but a fourth remained at large, George County Sheriff Garry Welford said Sunday night.

The sheriff said it's unknown if the school, directed by John Fountain of Lucedale, will be in session today.
The situation began at 10:57 p.m. Friday, when the Sheriff's Department received a 911 call from the school, formerly known as the Bethel Boys Academy, Welford said.

Deputies found a dormitory with shattered windows and overturned beds. Students told Welford that a rumor had been circulating that state investigators might arrive at the school over the weekend.

Students told him that caused some cadets to riot, Welford said.

The dormitory has been shut down because it's so badly damaged, Welford said, and until cleanup is completed, the school building is being used as sleeping quarters.

Efforts to reach Fountain on Sunday were unsuccessful. He took over Bethel Boys Academy from his father, Herman Fountain, nearly two years ago.

All 122 cadets were back in bed by 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, Welford said. "They (students) wanted to make it seem like there was a real problem there," he said. "None of those kids like it down there."

But the chaos continued throughout the weekend, he said. Students did additional damage to the school Saturday afternoon.

The school hired a private firm, Mississippi Security Police, that was on duty at the academy Saturday, Welford said. Deputies remained on campus over the weekend, he said.

Welford said he notified the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health of the situation over the weekend. On Sunday, Jacob Ray, spokesman for the state attorney general's office, said he could not verify whether his office is investigating.

The nine cadets were charged with disorderly conduct because they refused to comply with orders Friday and are being held at the Forrest County Juvenile Detention Center, Welford said. Of the cadets taken to George County Hospital, six were treated and released and one was hospitalized. Welford was unsure if the hospitalized cadet had returned to school on Sunday.

Bethel Boys Academy has a history of abuse allegations and state investigations dating to 1988, when 72 children were removed by state welfare officials. In 1990, a judge closed the school, then owned by Herman Fountain Sr. In 1994, Fountain reopened it as Bethel Boys Academy.

Early this year, the school changed its name to Eagle Point Christian Academy. John Fountain said the name change is an effort to disassociate the school from the past allegations.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hattiesburg American reporter Robert Malone contributed to this report.
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[Antigen]

On 2005-04-10 08:00:00, Anonymous wrote:

If a Police Officer with a weapon doesn't stop them, how can my 85 year old grandmother stand a chance against them on the streets?

She'd do well to not assist in forcing them into an abusive program.

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for a reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.
--Albert Einstein, German-born American physicist

[Anonymous]

On 2005-04-10 08:00:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Thank you Buzzkill for pointing out that there where CHILDREN involved.  I was bothered by the post that suggested next time they include fire.  These are young boys who now have the memory of surviving a riot in addition to their memories from the program-whether their's be good or bad memories.  People, a RIOT!  No child should fear for their safety like this.  Please imagine the tiny 12 year olds these programs accept who surely had tears in their eyes and then again say next time burn the place.  Investigate, yes. Close it (if necessary), yes. But add greater risk, No.



And let's not forget about the six students that were arrested for being beligerent to officers.  These are the ones that I fear.  If a Police Officer with a weapon doesn't stop them, how can my 85 year old grandmother stand a chance against them on the streets?  "

Well, first, twelve year olds aren't all that tiny.

Second, consider the possibility that the six that were snarky to the officers *wanted* to get arrested because jail is a better place than that "school."  If they keep committing violations in jail, who knows, maybe they'll let them stay.

Getting arrested was not necessarily intentional for those six, but without information, we shouldn't discount the possibility.

If *I* was a teen and I knew my parents were going to have me transported to a facility from my bed that night, *I'd* go out and smash a few car windows and slug a few cops if I thought it would get me prosecuted and put in juvie instead.

I for sure would.  I haven't heard of one of these programs yet, with the exception of genuine RTC's for mentally ill children that *don't* take JDs or addicts who aren't also mentally ill, that *I* wouldn't find worse than juvenile detention.

At least in juvie I could still write letters to my friends and earn pocket money at jobs inside and use it to make calls out on the phone.

And every time before I was eighteen that I was about to get out, I'd get my best friend inside to let me slug him and stage a fight that I "started" and get him to file a complaint so I could get time added on---as a juvenile.  Or I'd slug one of the guards.  One that I knew *would* press charges instead of just beating the crap out of me.

I sure would.

So I wouldn't put it past any of the kids in there to be smart enough to do what I would have done and get themselves arrested and sent to juvie to keep themselves out of "Eagle Point."

Timoclea

Timoclea

[Jeff_Berryman]

I find it interesting that the owner is not pressing any charges.  I interpret that to mean that he doesn't dare let this get aired in court, where he and his employees and all the other kids can be subpoenaed.

[Watchaduen]

I find it interesting that the owner is not pressing any charges. I interpret that to mean that he doesn't dare let this get aired in court, where he and his employees and all the other kids can be subpoenaed>>>>

I thought the same thing.  Those boys would have a chance to say they weren't rioting, they were simply doing what the girl's compound had done.  Brought media and law enforcement attention to the abuse they were suffering.  I am sure those boys notice every Sunday in church that the half where the girl victims used to sit is now empty.

I thought the biggest cry for help was that those boys continued to riot all weekend even after the police got there.  I assume because the police were just going to quite things down and leave them there.  Those boys did NOT stop until they were arrested.  If that was the only way to safety then that was the route they took.  My son would have done the same thing.  Take me to jail, at least I will get an unmonitored phone call to my parents then.  They will also be given a Public Defender.  These are NOT violent boys down there.  I have talked to so many victims from there.  Back talking, smoking a little pot or ciggs, sex with the girlfriend/boyfriend.  Really and truly, typical teen stuff.

[Anonymous]

Nice to see the young people standing up for their rights and not putting up with any bullshit.....riot on, my young friends....kill some asshole staff members next time....I wouldn't hold it against you.....

[Anonymous]

That does not help matters.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-04-13 04:06:00, Anonymous wrote:

"That does not help matters."

Apparently it did.  The cops showed up and rescued these brave rioters only after they had resorted to violence.  Too bad they didn't kill one of the abusive assholes on the staff--maybe it would give cause for cowardly child abusers to think twice before accepting a job with a teen torture facility.