3 Staff Members Charged After Teen’s Restraint Death In Michigan Have Been Released On Bond
(CNN) — Three people accused in the death of Cornelius Fredericks, a 16-year-old boy who was restrained at a residential facility in Michigan, have been released on bond, court records show.
Michael Mosley, 47, and Zachary Solis, 28, and Heather McLogan, 48, were arraigned this week after being charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse charges. They were released on $500,000 personal bonds, according to court records.
The three of them are staff members at Lakeside Academy, a residential treatment facility in Kalamazoo intended for young adults ages 12 to 18 placed through the foster care system or by their parents to receive behavioral health services.
Cornelius was a resident at the facility.
Prosecutors say two of them laid across Cornelius’ torso as they tried to restraint him, causing his death. Cornelius went into cardiac arrest and died two days later on May 1, according to a lawsuit filed by his family.
Mosley’s attorney Kiana Garrity tells CNN her client entered a plea of not guilty. Garrity said her client was following protocol at all times.
Anastase Markou, an attorney representing McLogan, told CNN her client voluntarily surrendered on Wednesday and was released on a personal bond.
“This is a terrible tragedy. Our hearts go out to his loved ones and the Kalamazoo community. However, justice cannot be served by an injustice,” Markou said in a statement. “My client, Heather McLogan, has done nothing criminal and when the evidence is in, she will be vindicated.”
Don Sappanos, an attorney for Solis, couldn’t not immediately be reached on Wednesday. Sappanos has previously told CNN that his client followed procedures set down by superiors.
“He is a gentle giant and had a great relationship with these kids,” Sappanos said about Solis.
CNN has reached out to Kalamazoo prosecutors.
Restrained for almost 12 minutes
Investigators have said they reviewed two videos from Lakeside showing different angles of the April 29 incident, which began when the teen allegedly threw a sandwich at another resident. CNN hasn’t independently reviewed the videos.
Video shows that after a brief discussion between a staff member and Fredericks, the teen started throwing food again, a report from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says.
Several staff members moved toward Cornelius, who was then restrained for approximately 12 minutes, the report said.
Fredericks was transferred to Bronson Methodist Hospital where he later died, the report said.
Sequel Youth and Family Services, the owner of Lakeside Academy, previously told CNN that the staff’s actions were not in line with the facility’s restraint policy.
“The restraint was not conducted in accordance with our policies and training. At Sequel, it is our policy to only use restraints as an emergency safety intervention in two situations: 1) when a student exhibits imminent danger to self and 2) when a student exhibits imminent danger to others, and in those cases to use the minimal level of intervention possible.”
MDHHS launched an investigation into the facility. In the full report provided to CNN, officials said that staff initiated restraint that was “significantly disproportionate” to Fredericks’s behavior, and the facility did not follow its own restraint policy.
The agency has since terminated all contracts with Lakeside and has begun the legal process to revoke its license, according to an earlier press release from the agency. At the time of the investigation, MDHHS found “10 licensing violations, including a failure to follow rules related to resident restraint and discipline,” the press release said.
In a previous statement, Sequel Youth & Family Services said it supports the decision to bring criminal charges. It also has said it is “making the necessary changes to ensure something like this never happens again.”
The-CNN-Wire & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.