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Here you will find bits of information about teen treatment facilities in the US and abroad.

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June 2006

A note from the webmaster - This has been an especially deadly month in the teen-help industry. Sadly, is not uncommon for us to report a single death, but this month, there were 5.

DeSoto County Outward Bound - Florida

A child has died after becoming ill at DeSoto County Outward Bound, a state-funded program for young offenders in Florida.

Dillon Peak, age 14, died June 17.

He had been hospitalized and in a coma since suffering seizures at Outward Bound in May.

Following Dillon's death, his mother learned that Dillon had been hospitalized with strep throat and a high fever a few days earlier, but Dillon was given Tylenol and sent back to his tent at the outdoor facility.

Dillon's doctor thinks the child may have had a rare type of encephalitis as well as the strep infection.

The results of an autopsy are pending.

Tranquility Bay - Jamaica

On June 6, less than 18 months after being released from Tranquility Bay, Carter Lynn hanged himself.

Carter was 18 years old.

A few weeks earlier, Carter was interviewed by the Miami New Times for this article.

The very same day, Layne Brown, who was also mentioned in the article and possibly one of the most abused kids to ever talk about Tranquility Bay, also died.

Layne died of a heart ailment at the age of 24.

Spring Creek Lodge Academy - Montana

16 year-old Jordan Hopp of Florida was brutally beaten by 5 other students at Spring Creek Lodge Academy, a WWASPS program in Montana.

According to Jordan, the boys surprised him in the bathroom and beat him with their fists and a shower curtain rod.

Jordan's parents have had to resort to offering a reward for information in the case because the administration at Spring Creek Lodge isn't providing any answers and the Sanders County Sheriff's department isn't doing much in the way of an investigation.

Coincidentally, when the grant money funding the Sheriff's Department school resource officers ran out, it was Spring Creek Lodge that came to the financial rescue.

As always, the Missoula Independent was the ONLY local news outlet to cover the story. Click here to read it.

And in a turn of events that sounds all-too-familiar, Spring Creek Lodge announced this week that it was no longer part of WWASPS (World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools).

But don't get too excited folks. Ivy Ridge Academy announced the same thing last year and it is still listed on the various program web sites and parent bulletin boards.

Like Ivy Ridge, the property Spring Creek sits on is owned by Robert Lichfield - the money-man behind WWASPS. And his brother-in-law Dan Peart is the Vice President of Spring Creek.

As far as anyone can tell, the "announcement" is just more of the deception we've come to expect from these guys.

Star Ranch - Texas

Star Ranch lost their license this month after the death of a second child.

Lenny Ortega, 12, died June 1.

On May 6, Lenny and some other boys from the ranch were riding their bikes through a creek when Lenny was sucked into a drainage pipe.

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) had been keeping a closer eye on Star Ranch since December 2005 when Mikie Garcia died after a staff member physically restrained him.

Perhaps the most disturbing part to this whole situation is that state officials were aware of problems at Star Ranch before BOTH of these little boys died.

The Kerrville Daily Times reported that DFPS knew about a sex-related incident that occurred in September and a sexual assault that happened in December.

Click here to read the article.

Academy at Ivy Ridge - New York

Rachel Stachowicz thought she was being a good sister. The Michigan woman drove 9 hours to visit her sister Lindsey, a "student" at Academy at Ivy Ridge in New York.

It was Lindsey's 18th birthday.

But program director Jason Finlinson wouldn't let Rachel in - or Lindsey out - even though she is a legal adult.

Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

But this is the unwritten policy at ALL WWASPS programs. Even when a "student" is a legal adult, the program still calls the shots. The only way Lindsey could have visited with her sister was to withdraw herself from the program entirely.

And of course, WWASPS has another unwritten policy to discourage that. It's called the "exit plan." Parents are encouraged, by WWASPS, to completely turn their backs on a child who leaves the program. Most kids get $50 and a ride to the local homeless shelter. Some don't even get that much.

Either way, if Lindsey had decided to talk to Rachel, she would have been disowned by her parents.

I know that wouldn't bother some kids, but for kids like Lindsey - who actually care about their parents - being forced to choose between siblings and parents is nothing more than emotional blackmail.

Rice Lake Day Treatment Center - Wisconsin

This is perhaps one of the worst cases of treatment abuse to rear it's ugly head in a while.

Have you ever gargled with your milk? Do you remember doing that as a child?

You throw your head back, start gargling away and the milk creates an impressive pile of bubbles that rise up out of your mouth.

Then you have to figure out what to do with them as you nearly fall over laughing.

I remember doing it. Hell, I TAUGHT my kids how to do it!!

Angellika Arndt

Well, the cute little girl in the photo here is dead because, among other things, she gargled with her milk at the Rice Lake Day Treatment Center in Wisconsin.

Angellika Arndt, age 7 was held face down for 2 hours in what Rice Lake calls a "control hold" on May 25.

When the ADULT staff members finally released the tiny girl, she was unresponsive.

The coroner has ruled her death a homicide, saying that Angellika was suffocated during the restraint.

An investigation into the treatment center has revealed that Angellika was restrained often and unnecessarily.

The staff members involved are on paid leave.

The district attorney is expected to make a decision about possible criminal charges in mid-July.

Click here to search Google for articles and updates.

Parents, the next time you catch your kids gargling with their milk, think about Angellika.

Give your kids a hug and be glad they're alive.

Then take a big swig of milk and join in on the fun.

May all the victims of the teen "help" industry rest in peace.