Boot Camp Counselor Guilty in Death

A counselor at a tough-love boot camp for youngsters pleaded guilty Wednesday to negligent homicide in the death of a teenage camper and agreed to cooperate in a case against the camp’s director, a prosecutor said.

Troy A. Hutty was one of two counselors who put Anthony Haynes, 14, in a motel bathtub to cool him after he collapsed in triple-digit heat last summer. The teen later died of complications of dehydration and near-drowning.

The plea agreement stipulates that Hutty receive probation, but a judge has the power to sentence him to up to a year behind bars, officials said.

Director Charles Long II was charged last week in the teenager’s death. Two other staffers also face charges.

“We want the truth,” prosecutor Rick Romley said. Hutty’s cooperation “allows us to get not just a clearer understanding but things we not might otherwise get without him.”

Hutty’s attorney, Gary Beren, did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.

Haynes died July 1 after being made to stand in the sun for up to five hours, then being left in the bathtub, the medical examiner’s office said.

Haynes was attending a five-week boot camp near Phoenix operated by the America’s Buffalo Soldiers Re-Enactors Assn. The camp was closed after the teen’s death.

Long is charged with second-degree murder, along with eight counts of child abuse. He planned to plead not guilty at his arraignment Friday, said his attorney, David Smith. He is being held on $100,000 bail.

The camp included forced marches, wearing black uniforms, harsh discipline and a daily diet of an apple, a carrot and a bowl of beans.

Lawsuits have been filed by Haynes’ parents and a woman who said her son was beaten and forced to eat mud.