Look at group home deepens after burning incident

Posted in: Flagler Tagged:O'Carroll Homes Battles Davis Miller Wesley Operators of a group home in Palatka could lose their license or face fines if they're found culpable for an incident involving a disabled Palm Coast teenager who was burned with a clothes iron, an official with the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities said Thursday.

Four workers and a former employee of the O'Carroll Homes facility on 14th Street were arrested and charged with abusing the 17-year-old girl. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities is investigating the home along with officials from the state Department of Children & Families, the Attorney General's Office and local law enforcement.

If officials determine sanctions are warranted, the agency can suspend or revoke the facility's license, impose a moratorium on admissions, impose a fine, or terminate the Medicaid Waiver Services Agreement that makes O'Carroll Homes eligible to receive Medicaid payments, according to operations review specialist Jeff Saulich.

O'Carroll Homes workers were charged this week in connection with a Jan. 3 incident that left the girl with burns on her legs and ankles. The girl's mother said her daughter "has the mind of a 2- or 3-year-old" and "cannot speak for herself."

"(Agency for Persons with Disabilities) has stepped up the monitoring of this group home," Saulich said Thursday. "If we feel that residents (are) in jeopardy, we would immediately relocate the residents and suspend the license."

Jacksonville attorney Todd Watson is listed as the registered agent of O'Carroll Homes, which is owned by Linda O'Carroll. He did not return calls for comment Thursday.

According to investigators, Devin Wesley, 21, held the girl down while Kavarus Bellamy, 21, first threatened and then burned her with an iron. Jolissia Battles, 20, also sprayed the girl "with an unidentified chemical in the face," and Jamon Davis, 26, and Yolanda Miller, 31, are accused of failing to protect a child and failure to report child abuse, reports state.

All but Bellamy have been booked into the Putnam County Jail and released on bail. Police do not know the whereabouts of Bellamy, Palatka police spokesman James Griffith said Thursday.

The Agency for Person with Disabilities oversees all group homes in Florida. It defines a group home as "a residential facility which provides a family living environment including supervision and care necessary to meet the physical, emotional and social needs of its residents."

Saulich said oversight is done through monthly visits, as well as "visits by third parties, such as independently contracted (Medicaid) waiver support coordinators and a contractor that monitors services provided through Medicaid."

Past "irregularities" at the home, which Saulich said were not of "sufficient magnitude to require sanctions," have included maintenance of the physical building, record keeping, medical follow-up issues and staff training.

"When we discover such things, we issue a notice of noncompliance," Saulish said. "The group home then provides us with a corrective action plan showing how they will correct the problems, and we monitor them to ensure the corrective actions are carried out."

According to the Florida Developmental Disabilities Resources website, O'Carroll Homes provided the second-lowest level of support to its residents out of four categories. The ranking, based on a review June 16, 2009, describes the group home as taking "some action toward helping individuals achieve outcomes but overall outcomes are not being achieved."

Jeanette Roscoe, the girl's mother, said she's known of "minor incidents" over the 11 years her daughter has lived in the Palatka home and was satisfied with how they were handled. She has since moved her daughter to a different facility and hired a lawyer to pursue possible civil action.

There have been problems at other O'Carroll Homes in the past, according to the State Attorney's Office. Shirley Ann Poole, 56, who worked at a different O'Carroll Homes facility in Palatka, is on felony probation until April for abuse of a disabled adult in 2007, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

O'Carroll Homes operates five group homes in Putnam County, Saulich said. The 14th Street home where the girl was burned has 12 employees when it's fully staffed with two adults and three children living there as residents.

"We look forward to a speedy conclusion of the investigation, as we are always concerned about the health and safety of the individuals that we serve," Saulich said.

Daytona Beach attorney William Chanfrau Sr. is representing the burned teen and her family.

"We're still investigating," Chanfrau said. "We need to know who's legally responsible. It will probably be a while."
By JULIE MURPHY, Staff writer