Pocono News Section

A.R.C. Under Investigation After Disturbing Incident

A.R.C. Under Investigation After Disturbing Incident - Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 5:00PM EST

Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 @ 05:00pm EST

WYOMING COUNTY- There's a probe underway into the Wyoming Chapter of A. R.C., the Association for Retarded Citizens. And we must warn you some information in this story may be disturbing to some.

It involves allegations that food was spiked with human feces. Officials who oversee the A. R.C. operation say it happened to at least one client. The concern now is whether other clients were victimized.

The A. R.C. of Wyoming County is being investigated by state, county and local officials. We know at least two staff members were fired and the director stepped down. A. R.C. provides services in private and group homes to people who face mental challenges.

Investigators confirm the incident happened last fall when a client was fed food containing fecal matter and a drink that was dipped into a toilet bowl. Joe DeVizia, Director of Luzerne County Human Services, said, "It's a horrific incident, there’s just no other way to describe it, a horrific incident."

The county has a contract with A. R.C. to provide services to the mentally challenged. "We want to assure everybody we're looking at the safety of all residents. It happened to a lone person so far that we know of. We want to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. Some staff have been terminated who participated in this. If it’s pervasive we will deal with it accordingly," DeVizia told the I-Team’s Andy Mehalshick.

DeVizia says it appears there was a sinister motive, with the fecal matter placed in the food and drink. "We're not thinking it was a joke, that's the real sad part. If it were a joke it was the most insidious type of joke. We think it happened as a planned event, as such we contacted the D. A in Wyoming County today," he said.