Former Kentucky juvenile detention chief resigned after investigation

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The former superintendent of a Kentucky juvenile detention center that was the site of a riot in 2022 failed to conduct mental health assessments and wrongly accused a teen of getting a handcuff key from a guard before she resigned, according to a newspaper report.

Tonya R. Burton resigned in December as the superintendent of a state juvenile facility in Adair County in south central Kentucky, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

A riot at the facility in 2022 left some juveniles and staff members injured after state police and other law enforcement officers entered the facility to restore order. That incident and other problems at state juvenile facilities prompted a U.S. Department of Justice probe, announced in May.

Personnel records obtained by the newspaper said Burton was due to be fired in November for failing to make mandatory mental health assessments and making false statements about the juvenile receiving a handcuff key.

According to the records, Burton told investigators a boy held at the Adair facility in June was given a handcuff key by a guard. She accused him of using it to escape his cuffs while taking a shower. But investigators said Burton’s story was not supported by a review of security video and other evidence.