THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604110318
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JUNE ARNEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
An 18-year-old resident of The Pines Treatment Center was sentenced to a suspended 12-month jail term Wednesday after the residential counselor he assaulted brought charges.
Anthony Edwards, who entered the Portsmouth center as a convicted child molester from Philadelphia, was charged in an attack on 22-year-old Dana Lauren King in February. He is scheduled to return to court May 28 for the judge to review his pre-sentence report.
The Wednesday conviction probably violates the terms of his probation in Pennsylvania. The two state courts had not decided how to resolve the case by late Wednesday. Edwards was being held in the Portsmouth jail.
``I felt like if I didn't do this, it's going to be worse on the next person, be it someone in society or another staff person,'' King said in an interview after court. ``If I drop it, who's going to say he's not going to do it again and the next person might get it worse.''
King told the judge she was sitting in a lounge supervising some youths about 2:30 p.m. Feb. 7 when she heard Edwards say: ``I'm going to get you, bitch.''
``By the time I turned around and looked up,'' she said, ``his fist was in my forehead.''
She put her arm up to block the next blow, and he hit her in the shoulder. Another counselor heard the commotion and responded. All three then fell to the ground, and King struck her in the head.
King is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds. Edwards is over 6 feet tall. King's injuries required ice packs and kept her out of work for three or four days, she said.
Edwards was part of the Behavioral Studies Program, which treats sex offenders at The Pines. ``An incident where a staff member is assaulted is rare,'' said John Hunter, clinical director of that program. ``There are minor incidents of violence two or three times a year.''
Incidents like Edwards' case are disappointing, Hunter said.
``I do believe in holding people accountable,'' he said. ``But our data support the vast majority of the kids are amenable to treatment.''
But attacks on staff by residents at The Pines, populated with youths who suffer from extreme emotional and behavioral problems, are not unusual among the more violent population. In one case, a counselor miscarried twins after she was beaten by a resident, according to employees who asked not to be identified.
The Pines is one of a handful of such facilities in the country.
Portsmouth police reports show there were 68 missing person/runaway reports from The Pines and nine assaults last year.
The attack on King occurred after she had restricted Edwards about a half-hour earlier for being disruptive, rude and calling her names under his breath.
About a month after the attack, she saw Edwards walking on the grounds. Although he was supposed to have a staff person within arm's reach at all times, there was no one nearby.
``As I passed him, he basically looked me up and down,'' she said. ``I looked straight ahead. I didn't feel safe passing him with him being unsupervised.''
Edwards has been at The Pines for more than a year. King has worked there since October.
``A lot of people were surprised I came back to work after the incident,'' King said. ``I'm not going to walk away from something I care about. I care about the job. I care about helping the children who need help.''
KEYWORDS: ASSAULT SENTENCING by CNB