Maryland
‘Riots,’ violence, questions over privately run youth facility in Maryland
KEYMAR, Md. (WBFF) — A privately operated youth treatment and foster home facility in rural Carroll County is facing renewed scrutiny after repeated emergency calls, violent incidents, and growing concerns from local law enforcement over whether the state’s current model is failing some of Maryland’s most vulnerable children.
Silver Oak Academy, a staff-secured residential treatment campus that does not use fencing, locks, or restraints in Keymar, has generated more than 100 calls for service since January 2025, according to public records obtained by Spotlight on Maryland.
Police records obtained show 35 incident reports resulted from those calls, including arson, destruction of property, assaults, escapes of at-risk juveniles and motor vehicle thefts.
Silver Oak Academy in Carroll County, Md., a privately operated foster setting for juveniles under state care. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)
Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees told Spotlight on Maryland that his office has been swamped with emergency calls for service from Silver Oak Academy staff and juveniles since it was reopened in late 2024 after a cycle of failed relaunches and abrupt closures.
Dana Rexrode, executive director for Rite of Passage’s eastern district, which includes Silver Oak, disputed characterizations made by DeWees that the alternative environment was spiraling out of control. She said the “open campus” model focused on therapeutic intervention rather than confinement.
“We don’t have locks on our doors,” Rexrode told Spotlight on Maryland by Zoom on Thursday. “They [foster juveniles] move freely with direct supervision around the campus. We don’t use any sort of mechanical restraints.”
The Maryland Department of Human Services and the Department of Juvenile Services oversee Rite of Passage’s contract and enforcement of Silver Oak. DJS did not accept Spotlight’s interview request, while DHS said Silver Oak is on its ‘hot list’ of facilities.
‘Overtaking the campus’
A February 2025 emergency call Spotlight on Maryland obtained included a female staffer who told the dispatcher that teens were “overtaking the campus.”
“They have rocks,” said the caller in February 2025. “They’re breaking windows.”
“I’ve had a youth spray a fire extinguisher in a staff’s face, and we are not able to manage it,” the caller said in a panicked tone.
Three Silver Oak juveniles, ages 13, 14, and 17, were arrested in that incident.
DeWees said the incident was, at the time, the second major fight in just two weeks. The sheriff added that at least eight assaults have been linked to the facility since January 2025.
The latest flashpoint came last week.
Body-worn camera footage obtained by Spotlight on Maryland on Thursday – matched with dispatch audio reviewed – revealed a staff member calling 911 again to report that three juveniles at the facility were actively setting fires on campus.
Go, go, run, run,” said the Silver Oak staffer. “We have three youths setting things on fire at our campus.”
When asked by dispatch whether anyone was in danger, the staffer promptly responded: “Honestly? Yes.”
Carroll County Sheriff’s Office offense/incident report for a Silver Oak Academy call on March 24, 2026 (Carroll County Sheriff’s Office)
Click here to view the PDF file
A staffer told Carroll County deputies that Silver Oak teens “threw a flaming book” at him as he attempted to get the juveniles under control.
‘Escalated and elevated’
Rexrode described the most recent incident that Carroll County Sheriff’s Office incident reports dispositioned as a riot, malicious burning, arson, and second-degree assault, as “three students who became escalated and elevated.” She said that staff were able to de-escalate the situation and safely return the teens to their dorms within about 45 minutes.
“I’m not sure three students constitute a riot,” Rexrode said.
ALSO READ | Maryland DJS workers beg leadership for help in leaked emails: ‘Continue to be in danger’
DeWees said he sharply disagrees with that assessment.
We’ve had riots out there where we’ve had multiple units respond to take over the facility and had multiple arrests,” DeWess said. “Our understanding is that it had been going on for quite some time. It was about 50 to 55 minutes later that they finally decided it was so much out of control that they had to pick up the phone and dial 911.”
Despite making arrests during the incident two weeks ago, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services released the teens back to Silver Oak’s custody within days.
Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees told Spotlight on Maryland on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, that his office has been overwhelmed with calls for service related to incidents that have occurred at Silver Oak Academy. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)
State records showing Silver Oak has the capacity to house 96 male juveniles ages 14 to 18. The privately run facility is overseen as an interagency partnership with the Maryland Department of Human Services and the Department of Juvenile Services.
More recent local emergency management records describe the current program as serving up to 24 male youths with high-acuity mental health and trauma-related needs in a foster care-like environment.
Assault reported
DeWees said that despite more than 60 staff members, the population as the time of the recent incident was a low as six students.
“For the amount of staff that they have, I don’t think there have been more any more than 10 or 12 students there,” DeWees said.
ALSO READ | Schiraldi hired convicted murderer to help reform Maryland’s juvenile justice system
The sheriff asserted that staff have told him and his deputies that they are discouraged from contacting law enforcement while on duty and managing potentially violent situations internally.
We had a staffer walk into our office [on Monday] to report an assault,” DeWees said. “The staffer disclosed to us that they came here while they were off work because they were told not to come and make a call during the day because it’s not looking good for them if staff were claiming they were assaulted.”
Rexrode was asked by Spotlight on Maryland if staff and juveniles were safe, given the large number of calls for intervention from the sheriff’s office.
Dana Rexrode is the executive director of Rites of Passage’s eastern district, the private organization that operates Silver Oak Academy in Carroll County, Md. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)
“We greatly respect our staff and we encourage them to reach out to law enforcement if they feel that they need to do so,” Rexrode said.
Costs to taxpayers
Meanwhile, DeWees said that, besides being worried about the welfare of his deputies, he is alarmed by the costs of Silver Oak’s program to taxpayers.
According to public records reviewed by Spotlight on Maryland, Rite of Passage receives approximately $893 per day per youth housed at Silver Oak. Extrapolated out, that figure amounts to roughly $326,000 annually per occupied bed.
“I almost feel like the state is writing a blank check to Rite of Passage and they’re just simply cashing the checks,” DeWees said.
Rite of Passage is headquartered in Nevada. The organization operates similar alternative youth programs around the country.
ALSO READ | Maryland officials silent about housing juvenile offenders in hotels after alleged rape
Silver Oak operates on the site of the former Bowling Brook Preparatory School, a juvenile facility that long faced controversy, including past investigations into serious incidents and litigation involving a youth death and safety failures. Another private organization operated the location during the time of the incident.
DeWees said that prior youth death years ago remains top of mind.
“What keeps me up is I’ve seen that particular facility, under that particular group [Rite of Passage], not work,” DeWees said. “It’s absolutely a recipe for disaster.”
Do you have news tips about privately operated juvenile facilities that are funded by Maryland tax dollars? Send tips about this story or others to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.
Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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