An second employee at a behavioral healthcare center near Leesburg was charged in the death of a 15-year-old patient, according to Loudoun County authorities.
Melanie A. Lewis, 47, of Stephens City, Va., was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the teen's death.
William P. Herndon, 47, of Martinsburg, W.Va., an employee at North Spring Behavioral Healthcare was also indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter back in January.
The investigation conducted by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, with the Office of the Medical Examiner and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, learned that the teen lost his life after he was restrained by Herndon. Herndon was a mental health technician at the center.
The sheriff's office responded to call from the facility on Victory Lane around 3:37 p.m. on November 19, 2017, for an assist rescue call.
The teen was unresponsive and not breathing and taken to a local hospital where he passed away.
The subsequent investigation, to include the results of an autopsy performed by the Office of the Medical Examiner, concluded the victim died from positional asphyxiation.
