How Could You? Hall of Shame-OhioGuidestone Employee

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Berea, Ohio, “police are investigating whether a former employee at a Berea group home used excessive force while restraining a 15-year-old boy last month.

A Painesville mother told Berea police March 15 that an OhioGuidestone employee punched her 15-year-old son in the face and hit him with a shoe during a Feb. 27 altercation, according to a police report.

Berea police said the incident remains under investigation but no one has been charged at this time. The department said it could not comment further at this time, citing the ongoing investigation.

A spokeswoman for OhioGuidestone said the employee is no longer working at the group home. She also said the organization conducted an internal investigation and reported it to Lake County, which has temporary custody of the boy.

Shawntay Hardesty reported March 15 at 4:21 p.m. that her son had been injured during the incident. She told police that the group home’s staff informed her of the incident March 1 and that her son told her about it March 8, according to a police report.

Hardesty told police that a staff member restrained her son after he refused to go to his room and became verbally aggressive. She said that her son spit on the staff member’s face while he was being restrained. Hardesty said that at that point, another staff member restrained the boy while the first staff member punched him in the face and hit him with a shoe, according to the police report.

Hardesty acknowledged that her son is difficult to manage at times; she said that likely led to him being restrained. But she said she feels the employee acted inappropriately.

“There’s times I’ve wanted to lose my temper too, but you don’t hit a kid with a shoe,” Hardesty said. “You don’t punch a kid in the face.”

Hardesty said Lake County has temporary custody of her son because she is unable to afford the monthly cost to house him at a residential facility. She said she’s contacted the county about the incident and that she’s currently working to get him transferred to another group home.

The OhioGuidestone spokeswoman said the group home followed its standard protocol following the incident. A client advocate conducted an internal investigation, and Lake County was notified so it could conduct its own investigation and determine whether the county would pursue charges against the former employee.

Hardesty said she might pursue civil action against the group home in the future, although she acknowledged she’d need to discuss the incident with a lawyer before deciding what action she might take.”

Mother reports Berea group home employee used excessive force while restraining son[Cleveland.com 3/25/14 by Evan MacDonald]

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