Ivy Ridge students charged after rioting,
escape
by
James R. Donnelly, Times Staff Writer
First
published: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Sarah Booth & Chris Garifos
OGDENSBURG - Twelve Academy at Ivy Ridge
students face rioting, assault and other charges following an
uprising and escape from the school for troubled youths Monday
evening.
"You had a small group of young men who
didn't want to be there any longer," St. Lawrence County Sheriff
Gary J. Jarvis said. "They were assaulting staff and one another. I
think they staged the fights so they could get out."
The melee reportedly started in the boys
dormitory, where several windows were broken, fire extinguishers
were discharged, a juice machine was overturned and dishes from the
kitchen were broken.
"When I was there it looked like every boy
on that campus was involved, but no girls," Mr. Jarvis said.
About 35 sheriff's deputies, state
troopers, city police officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents were
called at 10:20 p.m. to quell the riot and search for missing
students. State police dogs were brought in to assist in tracking
some of the youths who fled but were not used to take any into
custody, troopers said.
During the rioting, some 30 of the school's
450 students fled the Route 37 campus, which is 5 miles west of the
city on about 240 acres of heavily wooded land. Most were found
close to the campus, and all were returned to Ivy Ridge by 3 a.m.,
police said.
Two academy workers suffered minor injuries
during the rioting. Eight students went to Claxton-Hepburn Medical
Center for treatment of injuries. Two students were arrested there
and the other six returned to Ivy Ridge.
Charges against the teens stemmed from
things they did on campus before fleeing, Undersheriff Kevin F.
Wells said.
"Nobody that we are aware of committed
crimes against the public," Mr. Wells said.
Tommy L. Austin, 26, of 29 Rensselaer Ave.,
an off-duty academy worker called in to help during the disturbance,
was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly swearing and
being unruly while a student was being arrested. He was issued an
appearance ticket to appear in Oswegatchie Town Court on May 25.
Ivy Ridge has expelled 25 students,
including all of those charged with crimes. Of those expelled, 14
did not leave the campus during the riot.
"The ones expelled were instigators of the
riot," Academy Director Jason G. Finlinson said.
Little evidence of the rioting could be
seen at the campus Tuesday. Academy officials would not let the
media into the dormitory area but said damaged areas had been
cleaned up by morning.
Students dressed in Ivy Ridge's uniform of
khaki pants and white shirts walked the halls in straight lines,
each counting off when turning a corner, a sign that structure and
discipline the school is noted for had returned.
"It's as normal as it can be," Mr.
Finlinson said.
A team of therapists has been talking to
students to find out what was known about the incident beforehand
and to assess the impact the rioting had on teens there.
"You have to understand the caliber of the
students who are here. They don't want to be here. They don't like
structure. They don't like authority," Mr. Finlinson said. "But what
they did last night wasn't acceptable in anybody's book. They put
their lives in danger. Who knows what can happen when you go outside
these walls?"
Several parents of students said the riot
has not caused them any concern and praised the way it was handled
by Ivy Ridge officials.
"The school called in all of their staff
and the situation was taken care of," said Janet L. Szlyk of Dudley,
Mass., whose daughter, Leighann M. Keogh, 16, has been an Ivy Ridge
student for almost 15 months.
Mrs. Szlyk said she believes her daughter
is safe at Ivy Ridge.
"Like anywhere, there's always going to be
problems that arise," she said.
People also need to keep in mind that Ivy
Ridge is not a normal boarding school, but is a behavior
modification center that takes in hundreds of troubled teens, said
Malaica Valiente of Davie, Fla., whose daughter, Sofia R., 14, has
been a student at Ivy Ridge since April 2004.
Mrs. Valiente, like other parents of
students there, was contacted by Ivy Ridge officials Tuesday and
told of the rioting.
"What happened is some younger kids did
something stupid," Mrs. Valiente said. "I've been there and I can't
believe they would want to run away."
A resident living near Ivy Ridge took news
of the runaways in stride. After being told to lock her doors during
a call from Ivy Ridge officials Monday night, Pat A. Campanella, of
568 Route 37, turned on her scanner and watched out her window as a
couple of students were picked up by police.
"You expect this kind of thing every
spring," she said. "We were just hoping nobody would get hurt."
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