FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2018
Contact:
Kraig Troxell, Media Relations & Communications Manager, 703-771-5278
Kraig.Troxell@loudoun.gov
Alex Kowalski, Public Information Officer, 703-777-0625
Aleksandra.Kowalski@loudoun.gov
Loudoun County, VA- An employee of a behavioral healthcare center near Leesburg has been charged in connection with the death of a juvenile patient at the facility.
William P. Herndon, 47, of Martinsburg, WV, an employee at North Spring Behavioral Healthcare was indicted on January 11 on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 15-year-old victim from Norfolk, Va. An investigation conducted by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in coordination with the Office of the Medical Examiner and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, found the victim lost his life after being restrained by the employee, a Mental Health Technician at the facility. The name of the juvenile victim has not been released in accordance with the applicable state code.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office responded to the facility located on Victory Lane around 3:37 p.m. on November 19, 2017, for an assist rescue call. A juvenile male was reportedly unresponsive and not breathing. The teenager was 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.
Herndon was taken into custody January 16 and is being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on no bond.
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