Teen Accused Of Raping Another Boy At Chad Youth CenterWSMV Nashville
August 31, 2007
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- A 13-year-old boy who was a resident at the Chad Youth Center in Montgomery County has been charged with rape.
The boy is accused of victimizing another resident, who was also 13, on Sunday.
They family of the victim said they are not upset just because their son was allegedly the victim of a sexual assault by another teen, but because of how Chad officials reacted.
Her alleged victim and a Chad supervisor called the mother Sunday about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday to say the son had been sexually assaulted.
A Kentucky family of the alleged victim has hired a lawyer because of the incident.
"The entire family is very upset about the entire incident and very concerned about the son's well-being," said the alleged victim's family attorney, Rebecca Blair.
"She asked if the police were notified. She was told their protocol was to contact child protective services," said Blair.
The mother asked if her son had been taken to the hospital, but Chad again said that was not their protocol.
“If a child has been raped, how are you going to prove it if you don't bring them for a physical exam to a hospital?" asked reporter Nancy Amons.
"I would agree with you," said Blair.
At the mother's insistence, her son was taken to Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville, where he was examined. It wasn't until after midnight that the police were called by the hospital, not the youth center.
"How does the family feel about the way Chad handled things?" asked Amons.
"They are very upset about it," said Blair. "They're certainly investigating their rights."
There are many unanswered questions. For example, where was the staff when the alleged attack occurred?
As Channel 4 has previously reported, Chad has been criticized by state officials for chronic understaffing and for failing to report incidents to the state.
The suspect who was arrested on Monday is from Philadelphia, which contracts with the youth center to treat children. Some of the children are accused criminals, some are neglected and some are mentally ill.
The teen who was the alleged victim in this case had not been accused of any crime. His parents had sent him to Chad for therapy, and he has returned home.
A Philadelphia 17-year-old died at Chad in June during a scuffle with the staff. The cause of death for Omega Leach has still not been released.
