North Carolina
WNC camp appeals license revocation by state officials after 12-year-old camper death
A high-end outdoor therapy camp is once again trying to stop the state from revoking its license by filing a petition with the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings on July 8, about eight days before its license is set to be taken after the death of a 12-year-old camper.
Trails Carolina, based in the Transylvania County community of Lake Toxaway, more than an hour from Asheville, submitted a petition for a contested hearing to challenge the revocation of its operating license, a spokesperson with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed with the Citizen Times July 12.
“NC DHHS does not comment on pending litigation,” spokesperson Hannah Jones said. “We suspended their admissions and then sent them a notice to revoke their license. They cannot operate at this time.”
The closed therapy camp claims N.C. DHHS’s move to revoke its license was “without a reasonable or sufficient basis” and is “detrimental to the health or safety of the children who would otherwise be in (Trails Carolina’s) care.”
More: State: despite corrective action will revoke Western NC camp license after NY child death
N.C. DHHS “exceeded its authority, acted erroneously, failed to use proper procedure, and acted arbitrarily and capriciously in its investigation and suspension of admissions,” the petition stated.
Trails Carolina Executive Director Jeremy Whitworth was put on notice of the “intent to revoke” in a May 17 letter sent by N.C. Mental Health Licensure and Certification Section Chief Robin Sulfridge. The letter stated DHHS found five deficiencies under state regulations.
The camp then had 60 days to file this petition. The license is also set to be revoked after that same period. A spokesperson for Trails Carolina declined to comment on the petition.
More: After NY child’s death ruled ‘homicide’ at Western NC camp police consulting with DA
These sanctions follow the Feb. 3 death of a 12-year-old camper, whose autopsy concluded he died of asphyxiation because of the way camp staff had him situated in a single-person tent called a “bivy.” The camp was temporarily shut down by state health regulators the following week and in April lost its accreditation from Association for Experiential Education, a nonprofit certifying organization.
An N.C. DHHS report released in the spring revealed interviews with staff who felt they and the camp were at fault for the death. In its plan of correction sent to the state this spring, Trails Carolina detailed how it would avoid future harm to campers, but it also pushed back on some findings saying the plan’s submission “does not indicate full agreement.”
The boy was the second camper to die since 2014. Two former campers have sued in federal court, saying Trails Carolina failed to protect them from sexual assault by other campers.
Despite its petition, Trails Carolina still cannot operate, and the license revocation is still effective, DHHS spokesperson Kelly Conner said.
“They are appealing that,” Connor said over email July 12. “The (Office of Administrative Hearings) appeal process will now happen, and decision made on the revocation.”
More: Western NC camp facing probe for child death says court should dismiss sexual abuse suit
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
I woke up in the shelter around 6 am but took some time getting out of my bed. I slept pretty badly last night and it felt like I had been awake half the night. Baby Feet told us that at some point last night he startled a mouse getting into Islan’s stuff and it ran right behind my pad to the corner by Honey and Moonie. As long as stuff like that happens when I’m asleep, I don’t care, it doesn’t exist to me! If I was awake I don’t know if I’d be able to fall back asleep.
I had a pretty ambitious plan for today to cross the border into North Carolina and do my first 15 mile day. The weather seemed like it would be pretty bad so I wasn’t sure if I could do it. As usual, everyone left the shelter before me. I was ready to go at 8:30, but I decided to stop at the privy last minute since it was pouring. Digging a cathole in the pouring rain didn’t seem like a fun idea. The rain continued in earnest and I moved as fast as I could. The side trail to get back to the AT was quite long and all uphill, and the rain made it a bit harder to navigate.
Once back on trail, I met a section hiker who told me the rest of the guys were just a little further down. There was a gradual climb to start with but it didn’t feel too hard and I kept a decent pace in the rain. Halfway up the climb I ran into Arwen who was heading south on another slack pack to try to finish out the section. We chatted for a minute but quickly got going again as the rain picked up.
Once the trail switched to downhill it was rocky and muddy, but I moved as fast as I could, paying attention to my footing and slowing down in sketchier sections. I passed Tortuga and John, then caught up with Islan. I could see Baby Feet ahead, but he kept his pace up. Islan and I talked about what his presidential ticket would be.
We got to dicks creek and Bill from the green dragon hostel was there to pick up all the guys. I was pleased to see it was only 10:30, which means I had made great time in the rain. I told Bill I was thinking of crossing the border and he was encouraging. Islan also decided to continue on, and I decided to evaluate once I got to the next shelter that was 5 miles away. We got moving again at 11. Islan and I started off hiking together, but I pulled ahead eventually as the rain spurred me to move faster. The trail turned into a stream and there was no point in trying to avoid it.
I ran into three section hikers who said there were some women ahead on trail. I saw Bullseye who was slackpacking south. I finally made it to the shelter at 1:30 ish and saw Mariel, Anna, who I camped with the first night at Springer mountain, and an older hiker I hadn’t met yet named Fire Marshal. I tried to eat quickly and was still deciding what to do, but something inside me just really wanted to continue on. It was early enough and I knew I could do this challenge.
Islan showed up and decided to stay in the shelter so I was on my own. It was too cold to sit for long in wet clothes so I knew I needed to move quickly. I got water, and Fire Marshal offered to filter it for me. I ended up leaving later than I wanted to close to 3 pm and had to climb the .3 side trail back to AT.
As I left the rain started to slow down and then completely stopped and I felt good about my decision. About two miles away I saw my first bear! It was bit bigger than a cub but seemed too small to be full grown. He saw me before I saw him, and was scrambling so hard to get out of the tree he was in that he fell a few feet, and then bolted off into the woods. It all happened so fast that I couldn’t even get a picture. It was a cool experience and felt like another sign that I should be doing this. I clicked my poles and sang loudly for the next few minutes in case any other bears were hanging around.
A few minutes later I crossed through my first burn area on the AT. I’m not sure if it was a wildfire or prescribed burn, but it smelled recent. I continued along through the burn for a while before crossing back into a denser forest.
It was hard to capture the burn area
Before I knew it I was at the border crossing! It was an exciting moment and felt pretty cool that I walked for 8 days to enter North Carolina for the first time. All the states until Maryland will be new for me. After the border crossing there were a few cool waterfalls and streams before a gradual climb began.
Never been so excited to see a sign!
The clouds cleared up a bit and revealed some blue skies and sun, which felt like another sign that this push was right for me. As I continued along I heard a loud squawk which startled me. After a second I realized that a grouse was right along the trail and it wasn’t happy to see me. It flew a little further up and was very dramatic when I continued up the trail towards it.
The sun peeking through the trees as I entered NC
Once the trees switched over to denser rhododendrons and mountain Laurel I knew I was closer to the top, and made it to the peak shortly after. I started descending, feeling like I was moving at a good pace but didn’t check. At 6:45 I knew I was close but felt extremely tired and hungry. My first instinct is always to just try to push on and not want to take breaks, but there was no point in forcing myself to continue if I would be dragging the entire time. I sat down right on trail and rested for a few minutes. My entire body was buzzing and I felt extremely weak. I drank some water and ate a bunch of nuts and other snacks and felt much better. I got going again and was able to move quickly with a new energy. It’s amazing what a difference just taking care of your body makes. Finally, about 40 minutes later I made it to the shelter and felt really accomplished. It feels really good to set a challenging goal and meet it. The trail miles were only 15.4 miles but with all the .3 mile side trails to and from the shelters today my total mileage was 16, which is the longest I’ve ever hiked in a day.
An exciting patch of blue skies
I had the shelter to myself and I took my time collecting water and making some ramen for dinner. When I was still getting my stuff organized before bed, I saw a little mouse dart out from the side of the shelter towards the picnic table. It ran for cover as soon as it saw my light. I made sure to put any and all attractants super far from myself so the mice would have no reason to come near me, and then cozied up in my quilt to the sound of the rain falling outside the shelter.
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More than 100 dogs were rescued from an apparent puppy mill in North Carolina where they were kept in “egregious conditions”, an animal shelter said.
The SPCA of Wake county on Wednesday removed 101 dogs from a home that appeared to have been functioning as a puppy mill. In a statement online, the shelter said that the dogs had been “surrounded by their own waste, packed 5 or 6 to a cage and stacked floor to ceiling, or free roaming in cramped quarters and filth”.
The shelter, working alongside Raleigh animal control, also said that there had been numerous mother dogs with very young nursing puppies, adding that 19 of those dogs were now in SPCA Wake’s care.
“These events unfolded very quickly. Within an hour of receiving this call for help, we were on the property ready to take as many pets as possible,” the shelter said.
Pictures posted online showed puppies of various breeds in cages and with matted fur as they were being cared for by shelter employees. Speaking to CBS 17, SPCA Wake spokesperson Samantha Ranlet said that many of the dogs were toy poodle mixes, pomeranians, chihuahuas, yorkies and other small “doodle” mixes.
In a follow-up post on Friday, the shelter said that its medical team had been treating each dog’s individual needs, adding that many of them were suffering from skin and dental issues.
“The matted dirty fur is coming off in heaps,” the shelter said.
Additional pictures posted online showed clumps of matted fur being trimmed from dogs of varying sizes.
“We’re seeing a lot of smiles from these guys. This is the biggest moment in these dogs’ lives, and we are feeling so grateful to be a part of their healing. Thank you to everyone who has donated or reached out in support of these efforts. This rescue is a big undertaking, and we can’t do it without you,” the shelter said.
In addition to the 101 dogs, the homeowner, who police said was “cooperative”, also surrendered 21 chickens.
Speaking to CBS 17, Ranlet said: “The dogs in our care are being medically evaluated and some moved into foster homes … They will be placed up for adoption once they have received veterinary care and recuperated. We need to make sure they are healthy and rehabilitated so they can start fresh as somebody’s family members.”
It remains unclear whether the homeowner will face charges. The Guardian has reached out to the Raleigh police department for comment.
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