KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The third former employee of Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo will be heading to trial after the death of 16-year-old who was improperly restrained.
This means all three employees accused in the death of 16-year-old Cornelius Fredericks will be facing charges in the case.
Wednesday, former employee Michael Mosley of Battle Creek was bound over to circuit court for charges of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse.
Involuntary manslaughter is a felony offense that can result in up to 15 years in prison while second-degree child abuse can result in 10 years in prison.
Fredericks was held down by about six to seven staff members for about 12 minutes after he threw a sandwich in the Lakeside cafeteria on April 29. He died from complications of restraint asphyxia two days later and the Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner’s office ruled the cause of his death a homicide.
During a preliminary hearing Wednesday, the defense for Mosley argued that he had been improperly trained by the facility, and did not realize that it was a policy violation. Mosley was the first to restrain Fredericks in the incident, with other workers subsequently joining in.
Despite the arguments of improper training, it was ruled there was enough evidence to bind Mosley over to trial.
The state has already suspended Lakeside’s license which means the facility cannot house any children, but now the department is working to permanently shut down the facility.
In a related matter, the family of Fredericks has also filed a lawsuit for $100 million dollars against Lakeside Academy and their managing company Sequel Youth and Family Services. The lawsuit states, “The excessive use of restraints and the lack of concern for Cornelius’s life draw an eerily similar comparison to that of George Floyd’s death.”
The next trial dates for any of the three charged were not immediately made available.
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