Delaware
3 former juvenile detention residents sue Delco for alleged sexual abuse
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Three former Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center (DCJDC) residents sued the county Wednesday night, alleging DCJDC staff sexually abused them.
Anna Kull, a New York-based survivor’s rights attorney representing the three individuals, said the issues were systemic.
“The county needs to be held accountable for what’s happened here, because without accountability, we’re not going to see any real change,” Kull, a partner with Levy Konigsberg, said.
A county spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The legal complaint in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas seeks to hold the county liable for wrongdoing at the troubled facility.
“The civil system allows these victims to come forward, bring a lawsuit and seek financial compensation for the lifelong pain and suffering that they’re going to endure as a result of being sexually abused when they were minors,” Kull said.
The DCJDC was a pre-trial, youth detention facility in Lima, Pennsylvania, for children and youth ages 10 to 18 years old. The county court system operated the facility — until it was forced to empty its halls several years ago.
Delaware County Judge Kevin Kelly shut down the center in March 2021 after the Public Defender’s Office sent an urgent letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
The letter detailed allegations of “physical, sexual, and psychological abuse by staff.” Those complaints brought added scrutiny to the state’s juvenile justice system, which had been marred by a series of abuse scandals across the commonwealth.
“You have to really think about why this happened for as long as it did — why and how it was so prevalent,” Kull said.
In the latest legal filing, Kull and her colleagues zeroed in on the county’s disregard and inaction on complaints against the facility and staff prior to 2021.
A grand jury later investigated the conduct at DCJDC. However, despite unmasking a culture of violence, silence and “sexually inappropriate conduct” by staff, jury members decided against recommending criminal charges.
“Despite numerous publicly documented incidents of abuse by DCJDC staff going back decades that were reported to both county and state agencies and employees, not once were meaningful steps taken to protect the youth at DCJDC,” the complaint read.
DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — People in Delaware County said it feels like new housing developments are popping up on every corner.
WSYX
“What haven’t you noticed, right? The whole area just exploded,” said Scott Shonebarger.
Scott Sanders, the executive director of the Regional Planning Commission, said companies like Intel and other industries are a main driver for thousands of people moving to Delaware County.
With the big boom comes an urgent need for more housing.
John Wicks is the developer at Real Property Design and Development.
He has spent over a decade building homes for families in Delaware County.
Wicks said the Olentangy School District is one of the hottest spots for new homes.
“I started with one high school up until the 90s, then now we’re up to four up to five different high schools so it’s just a big draw,” said Wicks. “It’s a beautiful community.”
The district has grown into the fourth largest in Ohio with a new elementary school opening next year, and a fifth high school in 2028.
Wicks said the growth has presented some challenges over the years like labor shortage and some opposition.
“It’s become a big issue for a lot of people that live in and around these areas. They tend to oppose new growth and new development, so restrictions have gotten a little bit harder. Costs have obviously gone up over the last 20 years,” said Wicks.
The planning commission says between 275,000 and 350,000 people could call Delaware County home by 2040.
That’s up from 214,000 in 2020.
Scott Shonebarger said he supports growth but wonders when is enough.
“I mean to a certain extent I think you know at some point right you have to have some sort of boundaries I think, getting into the fact that now you have five high schools,” said Shonebarger. “What’s the limit?”
Police in Wilmington, Delaware, shot and killed a 19-year-old man Wednesday night.
The incident happened in a residential area near 24th and Jessup streets just after 11 p.m., Wilmington police said in a news release. The person who was shot has not been publicly identified.
Officers were monitoring a large crowd gathered outside when they saw a man exit a home with a handgun and point it toward the crowd, police say.
When officers approached the man, he ran away and a foot pursuit began, police say.
At some point in the chase, an officer fired their weapon and hit the 19-year-old. The man was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.
Police say they recovered a loaded gun from the man and that the officer was not injured.
Video filmed at the scene shows a crowd of residents gathered outside after the shooting.
Police are asking anyone with more information to come forward. The shooting is under investigation by the Delaware Department of Justice and Wilmington police.
Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura announced Wednesday that she will lead a new corporate law institute at the Wilmington University Farnan School of Law.
She will step down from the bench of Delaware’s highest court in late July, after choosing not to seek reappointment at the end of her 12-year term. She revealed her plans for the next phase of her legal career in a special session of the court in Wilmington.
As well as joining the Wilmington University law school faculty, Valihura will be the founding director of the school’s new Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute. …
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