Virginia AG punts investigation of child abuse allegations
The office of Virginia's attorney general has handed off jurisdiction in a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and other abuses at a hospital that serves vulnerable children
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Earlier this year, the office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares handed off its jurisdiction in a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and other abuses at a hospital that serves vulnerable children.
The move leaves any further charging decisions up to a local prosecutor with a tiny staff. Miyares' office offered a procedural explanation for the change, but the decision surprised some legal observers, given that the attorney general ran last year with a tough-on-crime message and has sought to expand the role of his office in criminal prosecutions.
“My concern is that when the going got tough, they didn’t want to keep going," said Kevin Biniazan, an attorney representing approximately 50 ex-patients who are plaintiffs in lawsuits against the Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents, related corporate entities and the facility’s former longtime medical director, Dr. Daniel Davidow.
The facility, located in a bucolic setting in New Kent County, about half an hour east of the state capital, treats children and young adults with complex medical needs, including chronic illnesses, brain injuries and neurobehavioral disorders.
