A Carroll County grand jury has indicted six former staff members at Bowling Brook Preparatory School on charges of reckless endangerment in the death of an East Baltimore teenager who lost consciousness while being restrained at the school for juvenile offenders.
In announcing the indictments yesterday, Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry F. Barnes revealed for the first time that counselors waited 41 minutes to summon an ambulance even though Isaiah Simmons, 17, was unresponsive and needed medical assistance.
"A call should have been placed to 911 about 41 minutes before it occurred, and [the six counselors] had a duty to do so," Barnes said. "That's the essence of the charge."
Asked what the staff did during that delay, Barnes responded, "Nothing. ... They thought he was faking."
Witnesses have said that Simmons was pinned to the ground, face down, for about three hours before passing out and that he had warned staff he could not breathe. The state medical examiner ruled Simmons' Jan. 23 death a homicide, listing the cause as "sudden death by restraint."
Those indicted, all of whom Barnes said took part in restraining Simmons, were Michael Paul Corradi, 31, of Middletown, Pa.; Jason Willie Robinson, 25, of Westminster; Mark Richard Sainato, 36, of Keymar; Brian Gerard Kanavy, 31, of Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Dennis Harding, 31, of Baltimore; and Shadi Sabbagh, 33, of Keymar. They could not be reached or did not respond to telephone messages left at their homes yesterday.
If convicted, they face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Under Maryland law, reckless endangerment is described as doing something that creates a substantial risk of death or serious risk of injury. It is a misdemeanor offense.
Several members of Simmons' family, including his mother, Felicia Wilson, attended a news conference held by Barnes yesterday afternoon to announce the grand jury's decision. They said they were disappointed that the panel decided to indict the counselors for reckless endangerment rather than felony charges of manslaughter.
Wilson said she wasn't "satisfied" - a sentiment echoed by Simmons' sister, Danielle Carter.
"The people involved in this need to be brought to justice," Carter said. "They need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
In a written statement, officials of Bowling Brook - which closed last month - expressed disappointment that the former counselors now face criminal charges.
