ABC6 | Chris White
A lawsuit has been filed against the owners of the Mohican Young Star Academy after child abuse claims.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed the suit on behalf of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS). It alleges the facility improperly restrained children being treated for mental health issues.
“These youth were in need of treatment and compassion but instead were held down and traumatized,” Yost said. “There’s a clear line between therapy and abuse and that’s why we are before the court.”
The lawsuit sought an immediate injunction to stop Olga Starr, owner of Mohican Young Star, from operating the facility and transfer operations to a third-party. Yost says a state inspection at the youth residential treatment center in Perrysville found numerous reports of child abuse and a lack of reporting of the use of restraints, as required by law.
There was video surveillance of the incidents in which improper restraint techniques were used, putting the youth at risk, investigators shared. Many of the victims, all under 18, were injured, Yost said.