Nurse At Behavioral Health Center Charged In Teen's Death

LEESBURG, VA — A second employee at a behavioral healthcare center near Leesburg is facing charges in the death in November of a 15-year-old juvenile patient, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday. A grand jury last week indicted Melanie A. Lewis, 47, a nurse from Stephens City, on charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of the juvenile from Norfolk at North Spring Behavioral Healthcare.

Lewis was taken into custody Thursday and is being held on no bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. The sheriff's office has not released the juvenile male victim's name.

Last month, William P. Herndon, 47, a mental health technician at the facility, also was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter. Herndon, from Martinsburg, W.Va., was taken to the Loudoun County jail.

On Nov. 19, sheriff's deputies were called to the Leesburg facility after the juvenile was found unresponsive and not breathing. The teenager was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

A criminal investigation led by the sheriff’s office found that the victim died after being restrained by Herndon. Lewis, a registered nurse at the facility, "failed to intervene when the restraint was incorrectly administered," the sheriff's office said.

An autopsy concluded the teenager died from positional asphyxiation, the sheriff's office said.

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