Five former employees at a Georgia juvenile detention center have been indicted on child cruelty charges related to the death of a 16-year-old girl who died while in custody last year.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation held a press conference stating that a grand jury in Whitfield County indicted the former director of Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center in Dalton, along with three guards and a nurse.
The indictment, which was handed down on Aug. 28, comes after the death of 16-year-old Alexis Sluder, an Ellijay girl who died while in custody on Aug. 27, 2022.
Detectives claimed the teen girl had been transferred to the facility less than 24 hours before she was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Commissioner Tyrone Oliver said, “At the time the girl had been experiencing an adverse reaction to an illegal substance she had ingested before her admittance.”
A GBI medical examiner’s report on September 11, stated Whitfield County Coroner Clyde McDaniel Jr. confirmed Sluder died of methamphetamine toxicity and that her death was accidental.
Those charged in the indictment are: Maveis Brooks, Russell Ballard, Rebecka Phillips, Monica Headrick and David McKinney.
Brooks, 35, was a sergeant at the juvenile detention center, Ballard, 62, was a cadet and Phillips, 45, was an officer, per the release. Hedrick was a nurse at the facility and center and McKinney was its director.
The suspects are being accused of depriving said child of the necessary medical care she needed while in the lawful custody of said defendants by not contacting emergency medical authorities in a timely manner.
The three guards, Brooks, Ballard, and Phillips, all face two counts of first-degree cruelty to children and one count of second-degree cruelty to children. Both Hedrick and McKinney are charged with one count of second-degree cruelty to children.
“Two previously terminated employees related to the incident and three others were still employed but are now terminated following the indictment,” the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice wrote in a statement following the indictment.
“DJJ is committed to the well-being and safety of the individuals entrusted to our care. We remain deeply saddened by this tragic incident and continue to hold heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the family of the deceased,” the statement continued.
Earlier this month, an attorney representing Sluder’s family provided a statement, “Alexis died a painful and preventable death, and although this criminal prosecution will not bring her back to her family, it is a step towards accountability.”
Sluder was a Gilmer High School student who enjoyed playing softball and competing in beauty pageants.
The Dalton Police Department and the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by the Whitfield County District Attorney’s Office.
