Investigation called for after teen allegedly assaulted at Racine detention center

The Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office is calling for an investigation into the conditions at Racine County’s juvenile detention center after a 15-year-old was allegedly assaulted by staff there earlier this year. 

Surveillance video and body camera footage released Tuesday by the office shows four staff members at the Jonathan Delagrave Youth Development and Care Center in Racine County taking Anthony Elliott Jr. to the ground while repeatedly hitting and striking him on May 27. 

An email from a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Public Defenders Office said Elliott Jr. suffered “bruises, swelling on his right eye, blurred vision, headaches, a scrape near his left eye, a cut on the left side of his nose, and dried blood inside his ear” due to the incident. 

“The people in this video should have never been entrusted with caring for children,” State Public Defender Jennifer Bias wrote in a statement. “This is a sickening act of violence.”

Kianna Reed, the mother of the now-16-year-old, said she was at work when she first saw the video.

“To see the video and to see how they was beating on my baby like he was Rodney King — that was just very, very heartbreaking,” Reed said. “It was devastating and very hard to watch.”

Three of the four staff members seen in the video are still working at the facility, which opened on May 1, according to the Wisconsin Public Defenders Office. A statement from a spokesperson for Racine County said the “primarily involved staff member” was “immediately placed on administrative leave” after the incident. He resigned within three days, according to the spokesperson.

“Despite the resignation, law enforcement and independent human services agencies still fully investigated and reviewed this incident,” the spokesperson wrote in the statement.

The Racine County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue prosecution after reviewing the evidence, according to the county statement.

A statement from the Wisconsin Public Defenders Office said Elliott Jr.’s family is seeking a civil lawsuit against Racine County. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Public Defenders Office is “demanding a full-scale investigation into conditions at the juvenile detention center and the qualifications of staff members who interact with children,” a statement said. 

Eileen Fredericks, staff attorney at the Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office, said she was shocked when she first saw the footage.

“This absolutely should not have happened,” Fredericks said. 

Fredericks, who is also the youth defense practice coordinator for the Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office, she said she wants to ensure staff at the facility are able to properly deescalate situations. 

“Clearly, from that video, it doesn’t seem that the staff are equipped with the skills to manage their own emotions, let alone assist youth who are dealing with these behavioral issues and trauma,” Fredericks said. 

Elliott Jr. was at the facility for charges related to retail theft and obstructing an officer.

“All of his cases have been adjudicated, so he is not currently facing any charges,” a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Public Defenders Office wrote in an email. “He has been in detention consistently since December 2024.”

Reed said her son is still at the 48-bed youth detention facility, named after former Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave. She hopes he’ll be back home in the spring, but she believes he’ll never be the same.

“My child is going to be traumatized, probably for the rest of his life,” Reed said.

“We need to make sure the people that’s around our kids, they are mentally stable to be able to handle kids with mental issues … (that are) in a detention center,” she added.

The state Public Defenders Office is looking to transfer Elliott Jr. to a group home. The office said a judge recently denied his attorney’s request for transfer.

The two videos released by the Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office are just over one minute long. A spokesperson for Racine County said staff’s interaction with Elliott Jr. “transpired over several minutes and included the youth clenching his fists and making multiple threats of physical violence to other juveniles and staff.”

In a statement, Amberlyn Yohn, administrator of youth rehabilitation services for Racine County, wrote, “Situations like this are complex and unfold quickly.”

“While one employee’s actions became the focus of this incident, our broader team followed established protocols and cooperated fully with the review process,” Yohn wrote. “We maintain our commitment to ensuring that staff have the training, oversight, and support needed to manage difficult situations appropriately and professionally.”