NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES HAS
UNCOVERED MORE TROUBLING CASES
OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT AT "EL
PUEBLO" BOYS AND GIRLS RANCH.
THESE CASES WERE KEPT HIDDEN
FROM THE PUBLIC UNTIL CHIEF
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ERIC ROSS
STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS.
PRETAPED INTRO:
THE CENTER CLOSED ITS DOORS FOR
GOOD AFTER THE STATE SUSPENDED
ITS LICENSE IN THE FALL OF LAST
YEAR....
BUT OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND
STATE OFFICIALS KNEW ABOUT ABUSE
AND NEGLECT YEARS BEFORE THEY
TOOK ACTION.
"I DO NOT WANT THIS PLACE EVER
OPENED UP AGAIN SO I WAS VERY
HAPPY." LISA MITCHELL IS ON A
MISSION.
"THEY NEED TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE." ACCOUNTABLE FOR
THE TORTURE SHE SAYS HER SON,
SAM, AND OTHER CHILDREN
EXPERIENCED AT THIS FACILITY FOR
CHILDREN AND TEENS WITH
PYSCHIATRIC AND BEHAVIORAL
ISSUES.
SAM SUFFERED A BRAIN INJURY AT
WOULD TELL HIS MOTHER ABOUT THE
ABUSE..
IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH....MA SKED BY
A HAPPY SMILES....LISA SAYS THE
MARKINGS ON SAM'S FOREHEAD AND
HAND ARE FROM RESTRAINTS.
"THESE KIDS WERE RETAILAITED
AGAINST FOR SPEAKING OUT ABOUT
THEIR ABUSE OR SEXUALL ASSAULTS
BY STAFF MEMBERS." IN ADDITION
TO RESTRAINTS...SAM SAYS ANY
CHILDREN, INCLUDING HIM, WHO
DARED TO SPEAK UP ABOUT
ABUSE...WERE PLACED IN SOLITARY
CONFINEMENT---OR WHAT THE CENTER
REFERRED TO AS "REFLECTION
COTTAGES."
"I REMEMBER STAYING AT
REFLECTION COTTAGES FOR WEEKS OR
MONTHS."
LOCKED IN A ROOM WITH A MATTRESS
AND A SMALL WINDOW..
THE A-C-L-U EVENTUALLY SUED TO
BAN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT..AND
WON....BUT THE ABUSE CONTINUED.
LISA SAYS SHE AND OTHER MOTHERS
TRIED TO GET POLICE AND THE
DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO
INVESTIGATE.
"WE WENT DOWN AND COMPLAINED.
WE BEGGED THEM TO HELP US.
GO THERE AND INVESTIGATE OUR
CHILDREN AND HELP US AND NO ONE
WOULD TAKE OUR COMPLAINTS."
BUT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS----THE
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES WAS
AWARE OF THE ABUSE AND
NEGLECT....DOCUMENTING EVERY
SUSTAINED COMPLAINT...BUT NEVER
TAKING ANY ACTION BEYOND
REQUIRING EL PUEBLO STAFF TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEMS AND
SUBMIT AN ACTION PLAN.
IN THESE STATE DOCUMENTS---
NEVER RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC
UNTIL
NOW---WE FOUND CASE AFTER CASE
WHERE STAFF FAILED TO REPORT
ABUSE AND NEGLECT.
STAFF ALSO LOST MEDICATION, GAVE
CHILDREN WRONG MEDICATION, AND
FAILED TO NOTIFY A PARENT WHEN
THEIR CHILD RAN AWAY FROM THE
CENTER.
THE FACILITY WITH MORE THAN $10
MILLION DOLLARS IN ASSETS IS
ALSO ACCUSED OF NOT PROVIDED
ADEQUETE FOOD FOR CHILDREN.
"WE WOULD ASK FOR FOOD AND THEY
WOULD SAY THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY
FOOD."
IN THIS SUSPENSION SUMMARY
REPORT---"CHILDREN AT EL PUEBLO
HAVE CONSISTANTLY EXPRESSED THAT
THEY ARE HUNGRY" AND IN ONE
CASE.
STAFF HAD NO EXPLANATION AFTER A
CHILD DROPPED A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT OF WEIGHT AND HAD
BRUISES.
"YOUR TAX DOLLARS WENT TO FUND
THIS.
YOU FUNDED CHILD ABUSE." THE
SAME MONTH EL PUEBLO HAD ITS
LICENSE SUSPENDED....THE STATE
RECEIVED FOUR COMPLAINTS....ONE
OF WHICH ALLEGES EL PUEBLO STAFF
ABUSED A CHILD BY PULLING HER
HAIR AND SCRATCHING HER....EVEN
ELBOWING AND KNEEING THEM.
EARLIER THAT YEAR---STAFF KNEED
A CHILD WHO WOULDN'T SIT DOWN AT
A TABLE.
THE STATE FOUND EMPLOYEES DIDN'T
UTILIZE APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINE
IN THAT CASE.
YEAR PRIOR IN 2013---A STAFF
MEMBER KICKED A CHILD WITH HIS
STEEL-TOED BOED BOOT BECAUSE HE
WAS QUOTE "A SLOB".
THE EMPLOYEEADMIT TED HIS
"EMOTIONS TOOK OVER"...IRONIC
BECAUSE THE STAFF MEMBER---LATER
IDENTIFIED AS RICHARD FINE---WAS
HIRED AS A COUNSELOR AT THE
CENTER....YET NEWS FIVE
INVESTIGATES FOUND HE HAS NO
PRIOR EXPIERENCE WORKING WITH
CHILDREN.
BUT SOMEHOW---HIS DEGREE IN
"BIBLE STUDIES" FROM AN
UNACCREDITED UNVIERSITY LANDED
HIM THE JOB.
"HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? HOW DID
DHS NOT KNOW? HOW DID THE STATE
NOT KNOW?
EL PUEBLO'S MISSION WAS TO
PROTECT AND CARE FOR
CHILDREN....BUT TIME AND TIME
AGAIN--STATE REPORTS SHOW EL
PUEBLO STAFF FAILED "TO
DEMONSTRATE AN INTEREST IN AND
KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN" AND
SHOWED A LACK OF "CONCERN FOR
THEIR CARE AND WELL-BEING".
REPORTS ALSO SHOW EL PUEBLO
STAFF "FAILED TO REFRAIN FROM
REPORTING FALSE AND MISLEADING
INFORMATION TO THE COLORADO
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES" ON
MULTIPLE OCCASIONS....
BUT IT'S HARD TO SET AN EXAMPLE
WHEN YOUR C-E-O IS IN ON THE
"COVER UP".
JIMMY CARDINAL---WHO WAS PAID
MORE THAN $128,000 A YEAR....WAS
ALSO ACCUSED OF INAPROPRIATELY
RESTRAINING A CHILD JUST LAST
SUMMER....
D-H-S INVESTIGATORS REVIEWED THE
VIDEO AND DETERMINED THE
SITUATION WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY
THAT WOULD JUSTIFY THE USE OF A
PHYSICAL RESTRAINT.
CARDINAL ALSO SUBMITTED FALSE
AND MISLEADING DOCUMENTATION TO
THE STATE REGARDING THE
INCIDENT.
SAM'S NIGHTMARE ENDED IN MAY
2014----WHEN THE STATE FINALLY
AGREED TO RELEASE HIM TO HIS
MOTHER....
BUT HE SAYS HE WILL ALWAYS
REMEMBER THE FACILITY HE SAYS
STOLE 5 YEARS OF HIS CHILDHOOD.
"I MISSED THE FACT THAT I NEVER
GOT TO GO TO PUBLIC MIDDLE
SCHOOL OR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL,
GET TO PLAY FOOTBALL AND TEENAGE
STUFF." ALTHOUGH THE FACILITY IS
CLOSED FOR GOOD....LISA SAYS
THAT'S NOT ENOUGH....SHE WANTS
BOTH FORMER EMPLOYEES AND EL
PUEBLO BOARD MEMBERS TO FACE
CRIMINAL CHARGES.
"I DON'T KNOW WHO IS GOING TO
HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE BUT WE
DEMAND A GRAND JURY."
AND WE COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE
CASE WHERE AN EL PUEBLO EMPLOYEE
FACED CHARGES FOR CHILD ABUSE OR
NEGLECT.
INSTEAD---THEY WERE
EVENTUALLY TERMINATED AFTER
MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS OR WERE ABLE
TO QUIETLY RESIGN AND MOVE ON
WITH THEIR LIVES.
WE HAD AN INTERVIEW SET UP
WITH D-H-S TO TALK ABOUT EL
PUEBLO---BUT THEY CANCELED
BECAUSE OF A SCHEDULING
CONFLICT.
THEY TOLD US THEY WILL
RESCHEDULE OUR APPOINTMENT...WE'
RE JUST WAITING ON A DATE AND
TIME.
WATCHING OUT FOR YOU, ERIC
ROSS, NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES.
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HAPPENING TODAY -- A REPEAT