Butler County court officials are working with a Philadelphia judge and Western PA Child Care to ensure problems such as the recent fights occurring among youths in the Allegheny Township facility don't reoccur.

“We're all working on a solution together,” said county President Judge Thomas Doerr.

He said facility owner Greg Zappala has been in contact with county court officials to make changes.

Doerr said the previous use of the word “riot” in describing the May 18 and June 4 incidents in the facility cafeteria was too strong.

Doug Ritson, chief county probation officer, explained only a fraction of the youths present during each incident, roughly 10, participated in the two melees.

“At the most, there were 10,” he said about the May fight.

He stressed both fights were under control before police arrived.

State police previously reported the May 18 incident involved 40 youths and the June 4 fight involved roughly 25. Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment about the discrepancy in numbers.

Police reported staff members received treatment at hospitals for moderate injuries.

Doerr stressed the public was never at risk.

“It's very secure,” he said of the facility, which houses youths assigned there by the courts.

Although some youths made it past their locked doors in another minor incident on June 5, Doerr said the facility previously passed a state inspection in which the doors were secure.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services issued the facility its latest certificate of compliance on April 13, which covers July 1 through July 1, 2017.

Zappala referred any comments to the state Human Services.

“We defer comments to the state because they are our licensing entity,” he said.

The state confirms there is an active investigation into the incidents.

According to Kait Gillis, director or communications for the Department of Human Services, Western PA Child Care has taken action, including voluntarily imposing an intake freeze.

The state reports Western PA Child Care has 33 youths. While the building has a total capacity of 99 residents, there are 75 beds available because some housing areas are not being used.

Another step taken was sending nine Philadelphia youths involved in the melees back to that area for placement.

The state also reports the facility is updating supervision practices.

Doerr said Western PA Child Care is designed like a dormitory because it can't resemble a prison in any way, including how people housed there are treated

“It's not like a jail,” he said. “The use of restraints is frowned upon.”

The incidents involved youths from Philadelphia.

Doerr said he would meet with Philadelphia Judge Margaret Murphy at a July convention in Hershey.

Doerr said problems can occur if there is not communication between officials in other counties and facilities receiving youths from those areas.

According to Doerr, it must be ensured that youths who have had prior problems or been co-conspirators in committing offenses are not housed together.

He said once that information is known, the opportunity for conflicts is minimized.

But he said it's not unusual for a fight to break out at such facilities.

Doerr said the surprise was that it was at Western PA Child Care, where there had not been any such issues in the past. The facility opened in 2005.

Doerr stressed Zappala already was making changes at the facility when the first fight happened May 18.

The previous executive director and other employees are no longer employed at the facility. The former executive director ended his tenure a couple weeks before the May incident.

Ritson said there was insufficient time for interim management to make changes.

Doerr said the incoming director, Richard Gordon, has a good reputation. he is the chief administrator at the VisionQuest youth facility in Venango County.

Butler County has two youths at Western PA Child Care — one in open residential and the other in secure residential. The daily rate for secure is $323.50 while the rate for open residential is $270.50.

Roughly 70 staff members cover three shifts, but the facility recently hired more people.

Doerr said Western PA Child Care, which accepts boys and girls ages 14 up to 21, is not operating at full capacity until there is sufficient staff to oversee that many youths.

Years ago, the facility stopped offering secure detention, which is reserved for youths who have not yet received their disposition, the juvenile defendant equivalent of a sentence.

For secure detention, the county uses Jefferson County Secure in the Steubenville, Ohio, area.

The county also uses Glade Run Lutheran Services residential treatment facility in Zelienople and George Junior Republic in Grove City.

Ritson said it's important for youths to be assigned to the appropriate program and facility.

“You can't put a square peg into a round hole,” he said. “We shouldn't be making references to any facility unless we know for sure it would be successful to that program.”

Tom Holman, deputy court administrator, said any youth housed under a treatment program is typically a minimum one-year stay.

Holman said an advantage to using Western PA Child Care is a youth can be moved from secure to open residential without having to relocate.