Youths Removed From Group Homes After Killing

A week and a half after two teenagers from a Calabasas group home allegedly beat a 12-year-old to death who also lived at the facility, the Los Angeles County probation department said it was pulling all its wards from the home.

County officials also said a total of 23 youths would be removed from four other homes run by the nonprofit Passageway company.

Earlier this week, the State Licensing Bureau cited Passageway for employing an insufficient number of administrators. Government investigators also found that one Passageway home lacked a perishable food supply and that the company had incomplete files on personnel and youths, county officials said.

The county did not close the group homes, but rather put them on “do not use” status pending the outcome of a full investigation.

“They have to err on the side of caution,” county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said of the probation department’s decision to remove the youths. “There will be plenty of time . . . to argue whether they are adequately staffed and whether they have proper records.

“But there’s been a murder. Anything less than pulling our kids out of that place at this time would be irresponsible.”

Andrew Juels, executive director of Passageway, said Friday that county officials were on “a witch hunt,” and he pledged not to accept any more wards from Los Angeles County even if the status of the homes changes in the future.

“There are plenty of other counties and there are plenty of other kids,” Juels said, adding that he may close the homes altogether.

Passageway and county probation officials have been under fire since last week, when a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old from the Calabasas home allegedly admitted beating 12-year-old Rodney Haynes to death with sticks and rocks and then leaving his body in a trash bin.