(LAKE VILLA) Two staff members at a north suburban home for troubled youth have been charged with the suffocating death of a 16-year-old resident Wednesday night at the Lake Villa center.
James E. Davis, 37, and Justin J. Serak, 27, tried to restrain the boy, who suffered from behavioral issues, when he became uncooperative shortly before 10 p.m. at the Allendale Association, 1 Offield Drive in Lake Villa, according to the Lake County sheriff’s office.
Authorities have not released the boy’s name but family members confirmed he was 16-year-old Shaquan Allen.
During the struggle, Serak grabbed the boy by his legs while Davis put him in a chokehold, sheriff’s office spokesman Det. Christopher Covelli said.
Emergency crews were called when the boy lost consciousness, and he was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was pronounced dead at 11:10 p.m., Covelli said.
Though more than 10 people witnessed the struggle, Davis and Serak told investigators that the boy had slipped on water and hit his head, Covelli said. They splashed water on the Allen’s face to cover their story, sheriff’s police allege.
An autopsy found Allen died of asphyxia due to restraint. Both staffers were charged with felony counts of obstruction of justice. Davis, a Round Lake resident, also faces a count of involuntary manslaughter and was ordered on a $1 million bond at a Saturday hearing. Bond was set at $50,000 for Serak, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Allendale Association is a private, not-for-profit home and treatment center for more than 150 people between the ages of 7 and 21 who have behavioral issues, according to the organization’s website.
(LAKE VILLA) Two staff members at a north suburban home for troubled youth have been charged with the suffocating death of a 16-year-old resident Wednesday night at the Lake Villa center.
