SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Hamilton County is ending its contract with Rite of Passage, the operator of Hillcrest Academy after an employee received allegations of sexual abuse.
Springfield Township police are currently investigating the allegations at the residential treatment program.
A Hamilton County Juvenile Court (HCJC) spokesperson said a judge removed a dozen teenage boys from the facility Saturday after a court hearing. Hillcrest currently has 50 residents, 12 of which were placed by HCJC and six by the Hamilton County Job and Family Services (HCJFS). The six boys placed by HCJFS are in the process of being relocated.
"The highest priority for both HCJC and HCJFS is the safety and well-being of all of the children housed at Hillcrest, those placed locally as well as those placed from jurisdictions outside of the county," the two Hamilton County entities said in a statement.
The County Administrator and the Administrative Judge also intends to terminate its contract with Rite of Passage, but it's unclear when exactly that will happen.
Tim Marty lives a block from the Hillcrest facility, and was disappointed but the news Hamilton was cutting ties.
He said his grandfather, Tedd Marty Sr., ran the facility in the 1940's when it was housed at a different location and run by the county.
"It holds a special place in the family because of what he did," Marty said.
He hoped county officials would see this as an opportunity to urge improvement within Hillcrest and renegotiate the relationship with the facility that exceeded or met 43 of 43 standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act on a 2020 independent audit.
"It's the last thing in the world that we need right now because, these kids, they deserve a second chance," Marty said. "They have done a wonderful job over there so hopefully they will change their mind."
Hillcrest Academy is a minimum-security facility that gives "at-risk youth" a "normalized high school experience" the facility said on its website. According to the Academy, the residential treatment program was licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. It is operated by Rite of Passage in partnership with the Hamilton County Juvenile Court and Probation Department.
The Hamilton County Administrator's Office declined comment pending the investigation.
Springfield Township police said it is working with the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office and hopes to release more information soon.
When contacted Wednesday, the prosecutor's office declined further comment.
Rite of Passage didn't return multiple requests for comment.
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