RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The state has shut down a ``boot
camp'' for troubled children after state officials accused
the operator of improper discipline that included
handcuffing a child for three days.
After the state Division of Social Services filed a
complaint against the camp and Raymond Moses, a court issued
a temporary restraining order Thursday against Moses and his
wife, Katrina. The order alleges Moses operated the camp
without a proper state license.
The camp was closed Thursday and the 62 children there
were removed and taken to an emergency shelter.
``It was clear that the strict discipline at the About
Face Boot Camp was sometimes abusive,'' said Paul Burge,
director of the Burke County Department of Social Services.
The 2-year-old camp accepts troubled boys and girls
between the ages of 5 and 16 and subjects them to a
``strict, military-style regimen.'' Parents were charged
$800 for the two-week sessions, according to the camp's Web
site.
The state's complaint alleged Moses assaulted a child and
then kept him in handcuffs for three days. It said the state
was investigating other allegations of mistreatment.
Moses said he did handcuff the boy.
``He was handcuffed some and unhandcuffed some. He was
allowed to go to the bathroom and bathe. We even took him to
Quincy's to eat with no restraints,'' Moses said.
The child who was handcuffed was among two children who
left the group last week, Sheriff John T. McDevitt said.
Moses said he went to county and state officials in
Raleigh to ask about licensing requirements before he opened
the camp.
``They couldn't give me an answer because they didn't
know what category to put me in,'' Moses said.
