Three standing trial in HYR death
Written by Jana Ryan
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Defendants are down to three in the negligent homicide case of Alex Harris, who died tragically at the age of 12 while a resident of the Hope Youth Ranch.
Harris collapsed while running as a form of punishment on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005. He had been running with a group of older teens since the morning hours.
Originally, eight employees at the residential treatment program for boys were charged with Harris’ death; however, only six of the eight were indicted.
When court convened Monday before District Court Judge Parker Self, the state, represented by Jack Montgomery, made a motion to dismiss the charge of negligent homicide against Marcus Jones of Castor, Tasha Jackson of Haynesville and Willis Doyle of Castor in return for testimony against the remaining three.
The state upheld its charges against Kelton Greenard of Minden, Arthur Henderson II of Cotton Valley and Anthony Combs of Homer.
Judge Self will determine the outcome of the trial, as each defendant has waived his right to a jury trial. If found guilty, the defendants could face up to five years in prison.
Defense attorneys Patrick Jefferson of Homer and Larry English of Shreveport offered a co-opening statement, with English calling the proceedings “a scapegoat trial.”
English told Self that charges had been dismissed against those who had physically abused and “ran” the boy.
English continued by suggesting that the three on trial had been poorly trained, poorly supervised, and had not received the facility’s policies that would have provided them with the necessary information to make an appropriate decision on the day of Harris’ death.
English furthermore said the facility’s supervisors and ownership should be held responsible for the boy’s death.
Jefferson, representing Combs, said all involved have admitted that the incident was tragic; however, on that day, his client did what he was told to do.
The first witness called by the state was Chris Haynes, agency administrator for Hope Youth Ranch.
Haynes, employed with the facility since 1996, said Greenard, Henderson and Combs had been classified as direct care staff and their responsibilities included scheduling, monitoring and leading daily activities.
Haynes said on the day of Harris’ death, the three defendants were assigned to in-school suspension, a punishment program utilized by the facility.
According to Haynes’ testimony, in-school suspension consisted of work assignments handed down for various infractions and nothing in the facility’s policy manual indicated that running was a work assignment.
Haynes addressed training received by the staff of Hope Youth Ranch, saying that all three defendants had undergone orientation and additional training throughout their employment, including Red Cross CPR. Haynes also presented to the court certificates of course completion that the defendants received following a one-hour training course that included signs of illness and emergency plans.
Haynes said the facility’s policy for illness required staff to determine the nature of the child’s symptoms, which would in turn determine a course of action. Those actions include notifying the facility nurse or supervisor or calling 911.
“Our policy is when you’re unsure, call 911,” said Haynes.
During cross-examination, the defense questioned the training received by the employees, focusing on the certificates of completion received by the three defendants.
When questioned, Haynes said the one-hour training program spent approximately 30 minutes on signs of illness and emergency planning; however, he added that the one-hour training course was above and beyond the training received during orientation.
The defense also questioned Haynes regarding the use of cell phones by the staff. Haynes said staff were not allowed to carry cell phones. He added that there are always extra staff members available who can leave an area to get help in case of an emergency.
During cross-examination, Haynes said Harris had been deemed “ungovernable”.
According to District Attorney Schuyler Marvin, on the day of Harris’ death, some of the boys at the Ranch ridiculed and kicked Harris. He added that Harris’ requests for water were denied by ranch staff.
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