Wheat Ridge police are conducting a criminal investigation of activities at a residential youth center that is the target of a civil lawsuit.
“It’s very much an ongoing investigation,” said Wheat Ridge police spokeswoman Lisa Spinder.
Police will look at interactions between adults and juveniles at Adolescent and Family Institute of Colorado
. It could be a lengthy investigation, she said.
A lawsuit filed earlier this year by former residents and their families claimed that AFIC staff performed inappropriate examinations of a sexual nature that were unrelated to the health of kids.
AFIC is a residential facility for youths with severe emotional, behavioral and drug issues. AFIC’s attorney Michael Drew said claims in the lawsuit are false and misleading.
Colorado Department of Human Services spokeswoman Liz McDonough said her agency received complaints that were passed along to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, which investigates the conduct of licensed professionals.
DORA spokeswoman Cory Everett said because of agency policy, she could not confirm whether the complaints were received.
The lawsuit was first filed in February on behalf of Aimee Donabedian and her son Christopher after he “poked” her in the neck with a knife requiring two stitches. The lawsuit, filed by Denver attorneys Jay Reinan and Jordana Gingrass, claims AFIC Director Alexander Panio, who is an unlicensed therapist, took Christopher off of psychotropic medications and urged him to lie about wanting to kill his mother and sister.
Later the families of three other residents joined the lawsuit including a woman who said AFIC staff told her son that she had a sexual interest in him, which she said was an outrageous falsehood.
Four former residents say they underwent examinations in which their genitals were probed, inspected and measured for no medical reason, according to the lawsuit.
But two other women whose children were treated at the facility, said the examinations were simply physicals and were performed for the safety of children at the facility. One woman said they were measuring “testosterone” levels.
“There was no abuse — period,” she said.
The two women both said the facility helped their children after previous facilities had failed to do so.
“I believe they not only saved my son’s life but my marriage as well,” the second woman said.
Drew said the facility has been accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations since 1984 and licensed by the Department of Human Services’ Child Care Division and the Division of Behavioral Health’s mental-health office.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to stop AFIC from abusive conduct because “defendants’ conduct is capable of repetition.”
Plaintiffs in both lawsuits seek more than $100,000 in damages.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
