Campers: Boy who died refused food
August 13, 2006
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- A
13-year-old cadet at a private military academy who died while
camping at a state park refused food throughout the excursion, the
father of two fellow cadets said Sunday.
Victor Jusino of Sunrise, Florida,
said his sons, ages 9 and 10, told him the boy continuously threw
away food after the 33 cadets arrived early Wednesday at the Back to
Basics Christian Military Academy's Training and Leadership Corps
campout.
"They described to me that he wasn't
eating. He wasn't feeling well. His stomach was hurting him and the
heat was getting to him," Jusino said.
Other cadets gave similar accounts to
WFOR-TV in Miami.
"He wasn't eating any food,"
12-year-old Joanna Miller said. "He would ask people if they want
his food or he would just throw it on the ground. When he was
supposed to drink water, he didn't want to."
The academy's principal, Lynda
Browne, did not return messages left at the school Sunday. North
Miami police have released few details about their investigation
into the death at Oleta State Park. An autopsy is pending.
Jusino said his sons told him they
were given three meals a day after starting each morning with a long
hike. But the boys were dehydrated, sunburned and had insect bites
when he picked them up Saturday morning, he said.
"They were very dirty, their clothing
was wet. They had been sleeping in wet clothes, and their hair had
been cut," Jusino said.
The cadet, whose name has not been
released, got out of bed in the middle of the night to tell a drill
sergeant he didn't feel well, and collapsed on the way to the
bathroom, Browne told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She said the
boy's mother told her that her son "wasn't the most physical, strong
or athletic child," the paper reported.
The academy subcontracts with Fort
Lauderdale-based Juvenile Military Training and Leadership Corp. The
camp is run by certified National Guard drill sergeants, Browne told
the paper.
In January, a 14-year-old boy died
after a confrontation with guards at a Panama City, Florida, boot
camp for juvenile offenders operated by the Bay County Sheriff's
Office. Martin Lee Anderson died one day after being roughed up by
guards.
His death remains under
investigation. The state's government-operated military-style boot
camp system was shutdown in May.
Copyright 2006 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not
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