Juveniles Riot At Brooksville Contract Detention Facility

BROOKSVILLE -- Hernando deputies, firefighters, Pasco deputies and state troopers rushed to a facility for teenage boys Sunday to break up fights involving dozens of juveniles.

The Hernando Sheriff's Office says it received a call from the Brooksville Youth Academy on Culbreath Road around 11 a.m. The staffer said "dozens" were fighting in dorms and the courtyard. Employees tried to intervene but couldn't break up all the fights.

Deputies helped staff re-establish order and tend to the injured. Detectives separated and interviewed the inmates, and were told that as one group of juveniles was being escorted through the courtyard to their dorms, teens from other dorms began fighting. Staff members confiscated several improvised weapons and handed them over to deputies.

Injuries included bruised cuts, an injured ankle, and in one case, a teen who suffered a concussion after being punched and stomped by other inmates.

Most of the juveniles were returned to facility custody. Two were removed to face attempted murder charges. Detectives are communicating with state agencies that oversee the facility.

Brooksville Youth Academy is a privately run facility that provides residential treatment programs for teenage boys 13-17 with mental health and behavioral needs in a structured and therapeutic setting About 50 are housed there, some placed by their families while others are there under court order.

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