5 Dalton Youth Detention Center employees indicted following teen’s in-custody death

By Tina Burnside, CNN

(CNN) — A Whitfield County grand jury has indicted five Department of Juvenile Justice employees in connection with an August 2022 in-custody death at the Dalton Youth Detention Center, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The indictments were issued Monday, just over a year after 16-year-old Alexis Sluder of Ellijay, Georgia, died while in custody at the Dalton Youth Detention Center, the release stated. Dalton, Georgia, is located approximately 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

According to GBI, the five people charged include the detention center director, David McKinney. McKinney is facing one count of second-degree cruelty to children. Also named in the indictment were Sergeant Maveis Brooks, Officer Rebecka Phillips and Cadet Russell Ballard, who were all charged with two counts of first-degree cruelty to children and one count of second-degree cruelty to children, according to the release. A fifth person, Monica Headrick, a nurse at the Dalton facility was also charged with one count of second-degree cruelty to children.

According to the indictment, the defendants in this case are accused of “maliciously causing Alexis Marie Sluder, a child under the age of 18 years, cruel and excessive physical pain by depriving said child of the necessary medical care she needed while in the lawful custody of said defendants by not contacting emergency medical authorities in a timely manner.”

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) said it “is committed to the well-being and safety of the individuals entrusted to our care. We remain deeply saddened by this tragic incident and continue to hold heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the family of the deceased.”

Whitfield County Coroner Greg Bates told CNN affiliate WTVC last year that Sluder had only been at the detention facility less than 24 hours prior to her death. Bates said the teen was transferred from Gilmer County Friday night prior to the incident. Bates also stated that Sluder became unresponsive while at the Dalton Youth Detention Center and was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead early Saturday morning.

Authorities have not released an official cause of death for the teen, however in a statement to WTVC at the time, Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice Commissioner Tyrone Oliver said the victim had an adverse reaction to an illegal substance she had ingested prior to being admitted to the facility.

“We are all saddened by the passing of this youth here at DJJ. We send our deepest condolences to the youth’s family and our Dalton Detention Center Staff,” Oliver said.

The Whitfield County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case, according to the GBI release. When contacted by CNN, a spokesperson for the DA’s office said they would not be making any comment on this case.

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