5 center ex-staffers indicted on sex charges

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

CHARLOTTESVILLE (AP) -- Five former employees of a treatment center for troubled teens have been indicted on sexual abuse charges, following a six-month investigation into charges of sexual misconduct at the facility, officials said.

A grand jury last week indicted Bianca Nicole Johnson, the former director of operations for the Whisper Ridge Behavioral Health System, on a charge of taking custodial indecent liberties with a child.

Bryan Antwann Vaughan, a former mental health specialist at the facility, was charged with two counts of custodial sexual abuse.

Whisper Ridge provides psychiatric treatment for 13- to 17-year-olds with mental health or drug abuse problems.

The names of the three others charged in the case -- a man and two women -- are being withheld because they have not yet been arrested, Charlottesville city spokesman Ric Barrick said yesterday.

The man was indicted on a charge of custodial sexual abuse on a male resident, while one of the women was indicted on two counts of contributing to the abuse or neglect of a minor, and two counts of failure to report suspected abuse and neglect, Mr. Barrick said.

The other woman faces a charge of contributing to an inappropriate romantic relationship and correspondence with a resident.

The charges against Miss Johnson, 32, stem from a graphic sexual proposal written to a 15-year-old male resident at the center in December, Mr. Barrick said.

"I would like to say that I'm absolutely innocent and that people in the community that know me and know my reputation will support me in these proceedings," Miss Johnson said. "And I hope that the judicial system of being innocent until proven guilty is factual."

Mr. Vaughan, 32, was accused of having sexual contact with two female residents around December and January, Mr. Barrick said. The residents are now 15 and 17.

Mr. Vaughan did not return a call seeking comment yesterday.

Miss Johnson and Mr. Vaughan were arrested this week and later released on bail.

If convicted, Miss Vaughan could face up to 10 years in prison, while Mr. Johnson faces up to five years behind bars.

City police began investigating reports of misconduct at Whisper Ridge in January after receiving a phone call reporting abuse at the facility, Mr. Barrick said.

Whisper Ridge CEO Taylor Davis said none of those charged is still employed at the facility. He declined to comment further.

State authorities have investigated the facility several times since it opened in 2001.

In February, officials with the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services said that they planned to revoke the center's operating license because of charges of abuse and human rights violations.

The facility pledged to correct the issues, and avoided closure in June when it signed an agreement with state authorities, paid $30,000 in fines and increased staffing levels.

"They are being reviewed all the time," said Leslie Anderson, director of the office of licensing for the mental health department.