A court in northern Ohio revoked the bond and issued an arrest warrant for a former director of a state-licensed residential treatment facility for troubled youth after a report surfaced that he was texting with a 17-year-old girl.
In August, Randall MacKendrick, 59, was accused of driving nearly three hours to meet someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sex. Instead, he met a police officer, according to police and court documents in Lorain County. He was arrested and released on $125,000 bond with the condition that he have no contact with minors.
At the time, MacKendrick was CEO of Fox Run Center for Children and Adolescents, one of Ohio's largest residential treatment facilities.
On Sept. 9, a woman told North Ridgeville police that
MacKendrick had been texting her 17-year-old daughter, a former Fox Run resident. The girl was at Fox Run while Mackendrick served as its chief executive, according to court filings.
The Marshall Project - Cleveland'sinvestigation into Fox Run Center for Children and Adolescents found instances of staff-on-youth violence, medically unnecessary sedative injections and long, painful physical holds by staff. The 100-bed, privately owned facility houses boys and girls as young as 5. Parents, foster care agencies and juvenile courts send children there for treatment of their complex behavior and mental health issues.
Information from The Marshall Project is included in this report.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bond revoked, arrest warrant issued for former youth center CEO
