Juab accuses school owner of child abuse
Child welfare investigators said they substantiated eight instances of physical abuse, educational neglect, medical neglect and environmental neglect last fall against the Whitmore Academy in Nephi, which typically has about 30 students.
Last week, Juab County Attorney Jared Eldridge has filed seven misdemeanor counts of child abuse and hazing against co-owner Cheryl Sudweeks, 50.
The alleged incidents happened from April 2003 through November 2004 and involve four victims.
Eldridge, while declining to go into much detail, said his evidence suggests Sudweeks either directly caused harm to the victims or allowed others to commit the abuse. His office is continuing to conduct additional investigations that may result in more charges against her.
At this time, Eldridge said, co-owner Mark Sudweeks has not been charged.
"Cheryl Sudweeks was the primary actor. Mr. Sudweeks has been in the background, coming in afterward, on the fringes and on the peripheral," Eldridge said. "We are still looking at some other things."
Sudweeks faces a June 23 arraignment in 4th District Court, where Eldridge says he plans to ask the judge to issue an order prohibiting her from having any contact with minor children.
Matt Hilton, the Sudweekses' attorney, has said he doesn't dispute that the state Division of Child and Family Services had enough information to conduct an investigation, but he added that the majority of the parents continue to support the program.
Hilton could not be reached Monday to comment specifically on the recent charges. Phone calls to the Whitmore Academy went unanswered.
Earlier this year, Whitmore was cited for several fire-code violations by the state Fire Marshal's Office, including lack of a second exit. The Sudweekses had until mid-May to come into compliance with the fire codes, and authorities said they have made those corrections.
The latest trouble stems from a months-long investigation by the Nephi Police Department and the Juab County Attorney's Office that was a fallout from the DCFS probe.
Because of licensing violations discovered around the same time, the state Office of Licensing sent a notice of revocation to the Sudweekses for the operation of their residential treatment center.
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