Wayne County pushes out 3 top juvenile jail staffers; contractor arrested for 'contraband'
Meanwhile, in what county officials say is an unrelated incident, a contractor from a mentorship group was arrested after the person was discovered bringing in "contraband" at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility on Wednesday, July 2.
Director Tamika Lofton and Deputy Director Anthony Moorman, who have each spent about a year leading the facility, were fired, on Thursday, July 3. A third staffer, Deputy Director Quiotis Fletcher, resigned after she was threatened with termination, she told the Free Press.
"They weren't performing to the standards I am looking for," Brian Rinehart, chief of staff to Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, told the Free Press. "They were relieved of their duties as we continue to evaluate what is in the best interest of the facility and the youth."
Lofton, Moorman and Fletcher said they were shocked by Wayne County pushing them out: They said they had good evaluations and that conditions in the facility had improved.
"I don't even know why I was fired," Lofton said when reached by phone. "They told me there was no reason."
Moorman echoed Lofton's surprise saying, "My evaluations speak to the work I have been doing.
"I love the staff," Moorman said. "I love the kids."
Fletcher blamed the county's Division Director of Institutional Care Mack McGhee for 'bullying' and that the moves were motivated by his 'personal feelings."
In response, Wayne County spokesperson Penelope Filyo said in a statement: "No complaints, allegations or reports of bullying or misconduct were reported or escalated to leadership during this employee's tenure."
Rinehart said that the county is reevaluating management of the detention center, planning to direct more resources to hiring mid-level managers. He said the personnel changes had nothing to do with the July 2 arrest of the contractor, which is being investigated by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
More: Female juvenile jail staffer guilty of sex assault gets 71-month prison sentence
"We take any breach of security seriously and maintain a zero-tolerance policy related to contraband in our facility," Filyo said in a statement.
"The actions of the contractor from an outside mentorship program represent a clear violation of our policies, values, and our commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for the youth in our care."
The contraband was marijuana candy, Lofton and Fletcher told the Free Press. Fletcher said four youth tested positive for marijuana use in the incident.
The facility moved into the county's newly modernized criminal justice complex in the fall of last year. Before the move there had been persistent problems with the juvenile facility, with the Free Press reporting on issues since 2022, including overcrowding, understaffing and allegations of physical and sexual assaults.
More: Jury convicts ex-Wayne County juvenile jail female staffer in sex assault of 2 teens
This week, a Wayne County Circuit judge sentenced a now-former staffer of the juvenile jail to serve at least 71 months in prison for the sexual assault of two teen residents last year at its former temporary location in the William Dickerson Detention Facility, a vacant adult jail in Hamtramck.
Contact Christine MacDonald: cmacdonald@freepress.com or 313-418-2149. Follow her on X: @cmacfreep.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wayne County outs 3 top juvenile jail staffers; contractor arrested
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