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An Omaha group home is being investigated in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy by two male roommates.
The two roommates, who have been charged with first-degree sexual assault, had a history of sexual or physical misconduct. That raises questions why the victim, who is borderline mentally disabled, was placed in the same room.
A neighbor said that for public safety and the safety of children at the Rockbrook Group Home, the facility ought to be shut down.
“It’s a scary thing,” said Derek Baker. “They’re just taking in more higher- and higher-risk kids. (The neighbors) all want to see it go.”
Omni Behavioral Services operates the enhanced-services group home near 105th and Grover Streets.
Morgan Kelly, an attorney for Omni, said in an e-mail that the firm is fully cooperating with investigators.
He said the firm wants to improve its services in light of what he called “unforeseeable events, such as clients defeating our security systems.”
“We always strive for 100 percent success in a secure environment,” Kelly said. He said Omni has helped hundreds of behaviorally and emotionally challenged youths stay with or return to their families.
The incident with the 12-year-old boy occurred Dec. 13.
The two roommates, Darius Kellum, 18, and Jorge Camacho, 15, are being prosecuted as adults.
Kellum was convicted of sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl in 2006, according to Douglas County Juvenile Court records.
Camacho spent time at youth rehabilitation facilities in South Sioux City, Neb., Scotts Bluff County, Kearney and Lincoln before being sent to the Rockbrook home. He originally entered the foster care system due to a physical assault.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, whose office filed the criminal charges against the two roommates, said the placement of the 12-year-old boy with roommates having such histories was “extremely disturbing.” He said the situation warrants a review. At least two Omni group homes have been closed in recent years.
One in Bellevue was closed in 1998 after three group-home employees were charged in the severe beating of a resident. A Beatrice home was shut down in 2006 after a resident, who was supposed to be under 24-hour supervision, left the home and committed suicide.
A spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said that its division of Children and Family Services is investigating the case because the 12-year-old boy is a state ward.
The department contracts with group homes like the one operated by Omni to care for troubled children and, by law, must assure that such facilities provide a safe environment.
According to state records obtained by The World-Herald, the victim of the alleged sexual assault at the Rockbrook home had an IQ of 78.
The boy had been a victim of sexual assault when he was younger and had sexually assaulted a female cousin when he was 7.
An assessment of the boy indicated that he was not a sexual predator and that, due to his low functioning level and past history, he should not be placed in a home with sex offenders.
A counselor reported that when she placed the victim at the Rockbrook home, she was not told of the roommates’ histories, according to state records. The counselor said she was told they would be “a good match” for the 12-year-old.
The boy told the counselor that just prior to the assault, he had tried to leave his room. But an Omni employee told him to return to the room and put him on “consequences,” a punishment for leaving the room.
Kelly, the Omni attorney, said the company could not comment on the specific allegations.
He said that Omni has invited members of the Nebraska Foster Care Review Board to tour the Rockbrook facility and that Omni has extended an invitation to concerned neighbors to meet with them.
Omni has previously sued Carol Stitt, director of the Foster Care Review Board, to prevent her agency from inspecting their facilities.
Earlier this year, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the review board had the right to such inspections to ensure that children in state care are getting proper care and supervision.
World-Herald staff writer Jason Kuiper contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com
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