Charges
pondered in death of girl, 7
Physical restraint at facility reviewed
BY KEVIN HARTER
Pioneer Press
June 10, 2006
Police and prosecutors continue to
review whether charges should be filed in the death of a 7-year-old
Wisconsin girl who passed out after being restrained at a Rice Lake
counseling center.
Angellika Arndt died May 26 in
Minneapolis, where she was hospitalized after the incident. The
Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide Friday,
saying it was caused by "complications of chest compression
asphyxiation'' leading to "cardiopulmonary arrest while restrained
by another person."
Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department
of Health and Family Services has ordered Northwest Counseling and
Guidance Clinic not to use control holds on patients unless the
situation is "so dangerous that police must be called," a
spokeswoman said.
The department gave the order as the
agency continued its investigation, spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis
said. "The criminal investigation takes precedence over our
investigation and we will do whatever we can to assist law
enforcement."
Rice Lake police were called to the
clinic May 25 after the girl appeared to pass out and remained
unresponsive after being restrained during an alleged emotional
outburst. She was taken to Lakeview Medical Center and then to
Children's Hospital & Clinics in Minneapolis, where she died.
Denison Tucker, president of the
Northwest Counseling clinic's board of directors, said its staff is
cooperating with investigators.
"We stand behind our staff," Tucker
said in a written statement. "We know them to be competent
professionals and outstanding mental health providers."
Tucker said the girl was held on her
stomach on the floor, with one staff member gripping her ankles as
another held down her shoulders. She calmed down, was released and
then passed out, he said.
He urged investigators to examine
other medical issues that could have contributed to her death,
including her medications. Tucker said his clinic does not prescribe
or administer medications.
Chris Fitzgerald, Rice Lake Police
investigator, said he and District Attorney Angela Holmstrom were
reviewing statements and documents to determine if "the facts of
this case meet the criminal definition of homicide."
He said he could not yet comment on
the investigation. Holmstrom, who was out of the office Friday,
could not be reached for comment.
The girl's foster family and friends
called her "Angie." Born March 3, 1999, in Milwaukee, she became a
ward of the state and was placed in the custody of the Milwaukee
County Bureau of Child Welfare until she was moved to a Rusk County
foster home in January 2005.
While living at her foster parents'
Ladysmith home, she was treated at the Rice Lake clinic, which has a
day program for youths with mental-health disorders.
Foster mother Donna Pavlik said he
wasn't sure what she could legally discuss Friday and declined to
comment.
Kevin Harter can be reached at
kharter@pioneerpress.com
or 800-950-9080, ext. 2149.
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