Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Public Sector Gulags
The world will never know how Eric Perez died
Ursus:
An abbreviated version of the above article (sans the last three paragraphs) also appeared in the Palm Beach Post on August 1st under the title Grand jury to probe teen's death in Palm Beach County juvenile lockup.
Comments for this last article:
cj · 5:55 AM, 8/2/2011
DJJ not following directions? hard to believe. If they had followed their own rules about sick kids this boy might not be dead.
What was the cause of death in the end?Really · 8:45 AM, 8/2/2011
I heard that this victims mother was no where to be found prior to her son"s unfortunate death. DJJ needs to hire competent help and proper training to these security guardsKevin · 9:19 AM, 8/2/2011
@Really What does the boys mother not being able to be found has to do with it imn confusedJUSSSAYIN · 11:09 AM, 8/2/2011
wondering why they're not waiting for autopsy report to come out??! Hmmm
sounds like its all about The Benjamins!
Copyright © 2011 The Palm Beach Post.
Ursus:
The Associated Press version of recent events:
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The Miami Herald
Posted on Tuesday, 08.02.11
Grand jury convenes in death of West Palm teen
The Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Authorities say a grand jury is looking into the death of a teenager who died hours after unsuccessfully seeking medical care at a juvenile detention center in West Palm Beach.
On Tuesday morning, state prosecutors also plan to ask a judge to prevent the juvenile justice system from releasing video detailing 18-year-old Eric Perez's final hours at the detention center.
The Miami Herald reported the teen's mother has requested the video under Florida's public records law. On Friday, prosecutors told the judge that the tape could "cause irreparable harm to the pending criminal and grand jury investigation."
Perez died July 10, hours after seeking help for a severe headache and vomiting. His cause of death remains undetermined.
Juvenile justice officials fired and suspended employees after the teen's death.
Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.
Ursus:
Ouch! Say it ain't so! Did Eric Perez's mum cave to pressure from the State Attorney's Office?
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abc25 - WPBF
Grand Jury Investigating Teen's Death At Juvenile Facility
Teen's Mother Withdraws Request To See Video Of Son's Death
POSTED: 10:39 am EDT August 2, 2011
Eric Perez died July 10 while in custody at the Palm Beach Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A grand jury is looking into the death of a teenager who died hours after unsuccessfully seeking medical care at a West Palm Beach juvenile detention center.
Eric Perez died July 10 while in custody at the Palm Beach Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
State prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to ask a judge to prevent the Department of Juvenile Justice from releasing video detailing the 18-year-old's final hours at the detention center.
The teen's mother had requested the video under Florida's public records law, but she later withdrew the request. Prosecutors told a judge Friday that the tape could "cause irreparable harm to the pending criminal and grand jury investigation."
Perez died hours after complaining of severe headaches and vomiting. His cause of death remains undetermined.
The Department of Juvenile Justice has since fired two employees and suspended six others.
Copyright 2011 by WPBF.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ursus:
The original title for this article, prior to being updated, was "Grand jury to analyze Eric Perez's death in Palm Beach County juvenile lockup."
A last minute retraction of the request for the Palm Beach lock-up video ... obviated the need for a grand jury. So it got canceled.
Video news footage at the title link:
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NEWS CHANNEL 5 — WPTV
Court hearing scheduled to analyze Eric Perez's death in Palm Beach County juvenile lockup canceled
Posted: 08/02/2011
By: Christina Mora
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A court hearing originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, which could have been pivotal in the case of Eric Perez, 18, who died in custody last month, never happened.
State prosecutors are calling on a grand jury to analyze the death of the teenager who died at a Palm Beach County juvenile detention center. The proceeding was going to center around a videotape showing Perez's last hours alive.
Perez's mother wanted to see the tape, and state prosecutors wanted to prevent its release, saying it would hurt a potential criminal case.
The court received a fax Tuesday morning from the new attorney representing Perez's mother, saying she has withdrawn her request to see the video. But she says, she'd like to reserve the right to see it in the future.
Perez was in custody for possessing marijuana. Authorities say he died hours after complaining he was sick.
Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc.
Ursus:
The Palm Beach Post
Mother of teen who died in West Palm Beach juvie jail rescinds request for videotape
BY JANE MUSGRAVE
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 8:56 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011
Posted: 12:55 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011
Eric Perez · Photo provided
Maritza Perez, the mother of Eric Perez, at a press conference Monday afternoon. (Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post)
WEST PALM BEACH — The mother of an 18-year-old who died in a juvenile detention center in July has decided not to seek a videotape that she believes would shed light on what happened to her son.
A court hearing on Maritza Perez's request was canceled Tuesday after she met with state prosecutors, her new attorney John Caracuzzo said. With the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office planning to launch a grand jury investigation into the July 10 death of Eric Perez, his mother decided to withdraw her quest for the video- at least temporarily.
"Prosecutors felt that what was best for their investigation was not to have the tape released," Caracuzzo said. "Ms. Perez does not want to do anything that might impede their investigation."
He expressed confidence that prosecutors Scott Richardson and Andrew Slater were committed to finding out why medical treatment wasn't given to Eric, who died nearly eight hours after guards found him in his cell dazed and confused.
The request for the videotape was filed by Maritza Perez's former attorney. The attorney, Richard Schuler, is now representing Perez's father, Placido Ventura. A state law that went into effect last month prohibits the release of videotapes when a death is involved, however such tapes can be released to parents and spouses.
In a court papers, Slater argued that the tape could be withheld from parents if a death is under investigation. Caracuzzo declined comment on whether he shares Slater's view. At this point, he said he wants to help prosecutors determine how Perez died rather than fight over the interpretation of a law.
The Florida Department of Justice has released few details about Perez's death. But while its inspector general and the West Palm Beach Department continue to investigate, the department has fired three employees. Anthony Flowers, the superintendent, remains on paid administrative leave along with three other officers, officials said.
On Monday, officer Laryell King was fired. Her termination letter states that she failed to successfully complete her probationary period. Two other officers - Floyd Powell and Terrence Davis - were fired for equally nebulous reasons. In termination letters, department officials said "we cannot tolerate staff not following policies and procedures, especially as it relates to the medical care of youth in custody."
Powell claims he was ordered not to call 911, even when it was clear Perez needed medical help. He has hired an attorney who said she plans to file a wrongful termination lawsuit on his behalf.
A confidential incident report The Palm Beach Post obtained two weeks ago said Perez appeared to be hallucinating when detention center guards went into his cell about 1:25 a.m. Even though he threw up, a nurse never arrived and guards didn't call 911.
Perez was given a soda and sent back to his cell where he was found unconscious about 6½ hours later. He was declared dead by paramedics about 8:10 a.m.
The medical examiner has not released an autopsy report. Maritza Perez has said that officials have given her conflicting explanations for her son's death. She was told that he had trouble breathing, that he had an enlarged heart and that he had bleeding in his brain.
Caracuzzo said he is hopeful that the facts surrounding Perez's death are forthcoming soon.
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Copyright © 2011 The Palm Beach Post.
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