A guard at a northern Wisconsin school for harmful Girls has been accused of molesting a child held there.
Evan D. White, 44, was charged with one count of physical abuse of a child, intentional bodily harm, and serious battery, all felonies. The incident took place in mid-April at the Copper Lake School for Girls.
According to the allegation, the 17-year-old girl refused to return to her room after outdoor play. When she returned to her room, she retrieved a rock and attempted to shatter a window.
White came to the unit and urged the girl to stop, but she refused and started cursing and getting in the guard’s face. She then spat in his face twice as he attempted to restrain her. He wrapped her in a bear embrace, and another guard tried to take her back to her room.
White also attempted to return the girl to her room, at which point she was thrown against a wall and smashed to the ground, according to the complaint. The girl stated that after striking her head on the wall, her “head became dizzy” and her vision became “black.”
After hitting the wall, the girl experienced a “level 10 headache” and felt something drip down her face. She experienced headaches for several days following the incident. According to the complaint, the kid was transferred to a local hospital, where workers taped a laceration in her eye shut and administered Tylenol.
Statesville MOTHER ARRESTED After Son’s Overdose, Charged With FELONY CHILD ABUSE
According to medical documents, the girl suffered a laceration on her face, discharge from her right eye, and swelling.
The indictment comes just a week after a student at Lincoln Hills School for Boys, located on the same Irma site as Copper Lake, was charged with fatally beating a security guard. Javarius Hurd, 16, was charged with the death of 49-year-old Corey Proulx and the injuries sustained by a 25-year-old female guard during an incident. A second boy was prosecuted in connection with the brawl for giving the cup of conditioner that Hurd flung in the woman’s face.
Last Monday, both were charged with second-degree reckless homicide in Proulx’s death. The Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake facilities have long been known to have major issues with the youngsters confined there and the people who care for them.
The facilities, located north of Wausau, were designed to accommodate boys and girls who have committed major offenses or are repeat offenders.
The state has faced years of lawsuits and abuse charges including excessive use of pepper spray, strip searches, and restrictions on detainees at the institutions. Teens have suffered injuries at the facility, including brain damage and toes that require amputation as per jsonline.
DAYCARE HORROR: Michigan Couple Arrested for Child Abuse After Indiana Authorities Tip-off
One of these incidents prompted a 2017 lawsuit, which resulted in the appointment of a court-appointed monitor to oversee conditions at the young prison complex. The state spent more than $25 million on court settlements and legal fees. The monitor is still overseeing the facilities because the state has not yet completed all of the requirements.
On Tuesday, a Lincoln County judge issued White a $1,000 signature bond. His next court date has not yet been scheduled.