ZELIENOPLE — Borough police are working with various agencies and are investigating allegations of sexual activity between residents of the Glade Run Lutheran Services residential facility that houses more than 90 youths, police officials said.

Police Chief Jim Miller on Monday night confirmed the investigation.

“We got reports of some of the things ... that there was some type of sexual assault,” Miller said. “That’s all I know about it.”

Miller said the investigation is in the preliminary stages and that several borough police officers are interviewing children who were possibly involved. Miller said his officers had contacted the Butler County District Attorney’s office and also said that a child forensic investigator from the Butler County Child Advocacy Center had been called to aid officials with the case.

Glade Run is a residential treatment facility for troubled youth that houses as many as 95 youths from ages 8 years old to 21 years old. Glade Run officials said that the Zelienople facility usually houses between 80 and 90 residents — many of whom live in cottages on the campus.

Residents are referred to the facility through a mental health assessment and come from all corners of the state.

Sheila Talarico, executive director of the Glade Run Foundation, said that officials with the organization became aware of a situation involving allegations of consensual sexual activity between an unknown number of residents in early August.

The organization issued a statement about the situation this morning.

“There have been allegations of consensual sexual behavior between youth in one of our residential cottages,” the statement reads. “Upon discovery it was immediately reported to all required reporting entities and parents. We are cooperating with the investigation on this incident and have reestablished safety in that cottage.”

Talarico said that there are absolutely no allegations of involvement by an adult or a facility staff member and stressed that from what she was told, the situation involved possible consensual sexual acts between residents of one of the cottages.

“Our understanding is that this was allegedly consensual actions,” she said. “That’s what the youth involved said, too.

“It was discovered by staff,” Talarico said of the claims. “It was in early August. They immediately reported it to all our required agencies and we notified the families of the children allegedly involved.”

Talarico said she was unsure how many children were allegedly involved in the actions but said that as many as 14 people could have been living in the cottage. Each cottage has staff members on duty 24 hours a day, she said.

“They discovered some suspicious behaviors and investigated,” Talarico said. “I can’t share any details of the alleged sexual acts.”

The situation is being investigated by the Zelienople police department, and Miller said that at this stage of the investigation, police officials are not sure who potential suspects are and that the exact number of children possibly victimized is not known either.

“At least half a dozen, five to six, were possibly involved,” Miller said. “They’re still doing the interviews. I’d imagine at some point we’ll get all the information together and possibly meet with the district attorney.”

Miller said that once police learned of the accusations, they immediately contacted someone within the district attorney’s office.

“We were on board with them from day one,” Miller said of his department’s cooperation with the district attorney’s office. “We called them right away. You’re dealing with juveniles here. We knew it was going to be a touchy situation with juveniles involved.”

Miller said that to his knowledge the situation was described as a sexual assault, not a molestation.

“Nobody has mentioned molestation,” Miller said. “Never has that term been used. That’s all I know about it.”

Miller said the police department maintains a working relationship with Glade Run and that this is the first case of possible sexual assault he’s seen from the center.

“Glade Run has been here for a long time. It’s been fairly quiet,” Miller said. “We would get calls about kids running away, but that’s expected.”

Officials from the Child Advocacy Center declined to give comment about the situation this morning.

No one from the district attorney’s office was available for comment this morning.

Talarico said that “safety” in the cottage has been “reestablished” and that officials with Glade Run are examining options for enhanced security. There are surveillance cameras in common living areas of the cottages but not in the bedrooms, she said.

Eagle staff writer Amerigo Allegretto contributed to this report.