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Teen accused of rape in center for developmentally disabled

 
The Associated Press
Published: Wednesday, August 30, 2006
HADDONFIELD, N.J. (AP) - A teenage patient in a program for people with developmental disabilities has been charged with raping another patient.

Acting Camden County Prosecutor James P. Lynch said Wednesday that Benny Ward, 18, entered the room of another resident of Bancroft NeuroHealth on June 11 and sexually assaulted the boy, a 17-year-old with autism who is unable to communicate verbally.

Authorities said Ward and the 17-year-old were staying in different rooms joined by a common hallway. The 17-year-old left his room after the incident and approached staff members, who found evidence of an assault, authorities said.

Lynch said Ward was arrested Monday at a relative's home. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in state prison.

A spokeswoman for Bancroft NeuroHealth said personnel there "took immediate action in reporting the incident to law enforcement agencies and other authorities and have fully cooperated in the investigative process."

Spokeswoman Liz Thomas said Bancroft was unable to discuss specifics of the case due to confidentiality concerns.

Similar, past charges at the center have sparked a state investigation of the Haddonfield campus and have made the future of the facility a prime public topic in the tony Camden County community.

Last year, the facility agreed to hire more staff members and conduct better training as part of an agreement with the state Office of the Child Advocate, which had spent more than a year investigating problems there.

A monitor's report on whether Bancroft has made the needed changes will be out soon, said Tiffany Ellis, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Child Advocate.

The investigation began after one resident was charged with sexually assaulting another in 2004. Also that year, the mother of an autistic patient who died there in 2002 sued the center.

Over the last few years, Bancroft has talked about selling the land and moving elsewhere.

 

 

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