Ohio moves to close juvenile homes in 2 counties

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio is moving to shut down 19 homes for troubled juveniles in two counties where investigators said they found signs of serious problems, such as youths left alone and children and employees who had been bitten by fleas from a dead raccoon, officials said.

“There were enough problems at enough locations that our recommendation is to terminate their license and close them all,” said Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The homes, all operated by the Columbus area company ViaQuest, are in Franklin and Lake counties and house 46 children in the custody of courts in seven counties.

The state received the first major complaint about ViaQuest in 2004 when a 13-year-old boy drowned in the bathtub of a Columbus home, Johnson told The Columbus Dispatch. That facility was closed, but the company was allowed to remain in operation.