911 Call Reveals Abuse at Choate

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" class="no-js"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />  <meta name="parsely-title" content="911 Call Reveals Abuse at Choate" /> <meta name="parsely-link" content="https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-choate-mental-health-abuse-911-staff" /> <meta name="parsely-type" content="post" /> <meta name="parsely-image-url" content="https://img.assets-c3.propublica.org/images/articles/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5523&fp-y=0.7646&h=630&imgixProfile=propublicaAssets&q=90&w=1200&s=d2524383a3653a72efe1c6d644389561" /> <meta name="parsely-pub-date" content="2022-10-10T08:30:00-04:00" /> <meta name="parsely-section" content="Local Reporting Network" /> <meta name="parsely-author" content="Beth Hundsdorfer" /> <meta name="parsely-author" content="Molly Parker" /> <meta name="parsely-tags" content="lang:en,storytype:legacy,series:Culture of Cruelty,location:Illinois,topic:Health Care,topic:Mental Health" />  <meta name="socialpost1" content="Serious consequences in cases of abuse and misconduct at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center are rare. Beyond the lack of criminal sanctions, employees are also rarely fired for misconduct, including actions that obstruct investigations." /> <meta name="socialpost2" content="When a police dispatcher in the rural southern Illinois community announced herself, no one responded. She heard voices, laughing and taunting, then a female voice said, “You want me to break your other finger?”" /> <meta name="socialpost3" content="Such failures of accountability at Choate do not begin or end with this 911 call. But it provides a look behind a veil of secrecy and obfuscation maintained by staffers, few of whom ever face serious consequences." /> <meta name="socialpost4" content="Almost five minutes passed on the June 2020 call before the dispatcher got the attention of someone on the other end of the line. 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opener__topics--vertical-rule"> <a class="opener__topics-link " href="https://www.propublica.org/topics/health-care">Health Care</a> </span> <h1 class="opener__hed " > Chilling Audio Provides Rare Glimpse Into Abuse at Troubled Illinois Residential Facility </h1> <h2 class="opener__dek " > No one was charged when staff were caught on a 911 tape threatening violence against a Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center resident who has developmental disabilities. New reporting shows a culture of cover-ups at the facility. </h2> </div>  </div> <div class="article-meta-1 article-meta-1--center " data-pp-location="article meta"> <span class="article-meta-1__byline" data-pp-location="article byine"> by <span class="name">Beth Hundsdorfer</span>, <a href="https://capitolnewsillinois.com/">Capitol News Illinois</a>, and <span class="name">Molly Parker</span>, <a href="https://thesouthern.com/">Lee Enterprises Midwest</a> </span> <time class="article-meta-1__pubdate"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2022-10-10EDT08:30">Oct. 10, 2022, 8:30 a.m. EDT</time> </time> <div class="article-meta-1__section-actions article-meta-1__section-actions--center " data-pp-location="article story-tools"> <script type="application/json" class="svelte-config"> {"componentName":"ShareTools","props":{"pageTitle":"911 Call Reveals Abuse at Choate","pageUrl":"https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-choate-mental-health-abuse-911-staff"},"contextArray":[]} </script> <div class="share-tools" data-pp-click data-pp-location="share tools"> <button class="button shape--pill svelte-1qpwxqa" data-pp-skip="false" role="button" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expanded="false" data-state="closed" id="NQZUay8tUI" data-melt-popover-trigger="" data-popover-trigger="" style="--button-bg-color: var(--color-neutral-10); 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Then the connection went dead.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="3.0">With the audio recording in hand, the Illinois State Police launched an investigation. They learned that the call was made as Choate employees attempted to restrain a patient: A smart watch jostled in the struggle had accidentally dialed emergency services. They discovered that the voice heard pleading for help belonged to Alijah Luellen, who has Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic condition that can cause severe childhood obesity, intellectual disability and behavioral problems. They also discovered that the other voices belonged to the employees paid to care for him.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="4.0">Nonetheless, such incriminating evidence was not enough to hold anyone accountable.</p> <figure data-pp-id="5" data-pp-blocktype="audio" class="bb-audio size04 left out02 wide-sm wrap bb--border-top hide-print "> <div class="lead-in"> <p class="lead-in__title" id="threat-caught-on-911-tape">Threat Caught on 911 Tape</p> <div class="lead-in__intro"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> Audio includes screams from a person being restrained.</p> </div> </div> <audio class="bb-audio__player" controls src="https://assets-d.propublica.org/v5/audio/Audio-Edited-911-Clip.mp3"></audio> <figcaption class="attribution"> <span class="attribution__caption">A section of a five-minute 911 call that recorded a Choate staff threatening a resident, who repeatedly begs “let me go” as they attempt to restrain him.</span> </figcaption> </figure> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="6.0">Such failures of accountability at Choate, which is run by the Illinois Department of Human Services, do not begin or end with the 911 call. Reporting by Lee Enterprises Midwest, Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica reveals a culture of cover-ups that makes it harder to reform the 270-bed developmental center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illnesses. In dozens of cases, records show that Choate employees have lied to state police and to investigators with IDHS’ Office of the Inspector General; walked out of interviews, plotted to cover up or obfuscate alleged abuse and neglect; and failed to follow policies intended to protect the integrity of investigations.</p> <aside class="bb-ad full | hide-print"> <div class="htlad-inline-2"></div> </aside> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="8.0">The findings follow stories by the three news organizations last month that <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-choate-mental-health-abuse-beatings">exposed abuses</a> patients have <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-choate-mental-health-abuse-history">suffered at Choate</a>. In response to those articles, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a warning to state workers: Put an end to “awful” abuses or the state may be forced to shut the facility down.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="9.0">IDHS did not dispute any of the news organizations’ findings, and it said in a statement that the agency requires employees to cooperate with OIG investigations and trains them on the need to be truthful with both the OIG and state police. Similarly, IDHS trains staff on preventing and reporting abuse and neglect on at least a yearly basis.</p> <figure data-pp-id="10" data-pp-blocktype="image" class="bb-image size04 right out02 wide-sm wrap "> <img class="" alt="" width="796" height="1260" loading="lazy" js-autosizes src="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1266&q=75&w=800&s=9d11936539fab8bd44f3a45c8edb8497" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=633&q=75&w=400&s=e6e81d5eba0659f3a2774b410e698b36 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1266&q=75&w=800&s=9d11936539fab8bd44f3a45c8edb8497 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1899&q=75&w=1200&s=5ca39bc3d16944e1f2cea20f376e7e15 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2058&q=75&w=1300&s=0f44df41d5011f66134d92bd73af3da2 1300w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2295&q=75&w=1450&s=dbc5c26ecca8caa0116402b0dc39bce7 1450w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2533&q=75&w=1600&s=457606183722f89fb4815eaafdc6e428 1600w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-Alijah.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=3166&q=75&w=2000&s=6733b87abe403aac9b8e92e58a3e45ad 2000w" /> <figcaption class="attribution"> <span class="attribution__caption">Alijah Luellen as a child</span> <span class="attribution__credit"> <span class="a11y">Credit: </span> Courtesy of Benita Hunter </span> </figcaption> </figure> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="11.0">But as the 911 incident reveals, cleaning up the facility’s practices may not be easy.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="13.0">When police questioned several of the employees on shift that night, they all told the investigators that they believed it had been a routine restraint, something they did to Luellen several times a week. One worker also said the order for strapping Luellen to his bed was made after the patient was “verbally uncooperative” and reached for the shirt of an employee who told him he couldn’t stay up and watch TV after 10 p.m., according to the police report. Records show he remained in restraints for two hours. During a medical examination after the incident, a doctor found tenderness in his finger and bruises on his upper body.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="14.0">The investigators played the audio recording of the 911 call to each employee and wrote down their reactions. According to notes from their interviews, one worker acted nervous and told them all the shouting was making her anxious; another told them he wished that they didn’t have the audio because it “sounds bad.”</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="15.0">Yet they all claimed they couldn’t recognize the voice of the worker who threatened the patient on the 911 call.</p> <aside class="bb-ad full | hide-print"> <div class="htlad-inline-2"></div> </aside> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="17.0">In addition, two employees cut their interviews with investigators short and walked out. (Law enforcement cannot compel employees to answer questions, according to state police; IDHS said that employees’ participation in criminal investigations is not mandated as a condition of employment.) Another employee, in internal paperwork, initially stated he assisted in the restraint. He later told police he had falsified the paperwork and wasn’t actually in the room, according to the police report.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="18.0">The victim’s statement also wasn’t helpful in making the case: Because of Luellen’s severe speech impediment, state police investigators asked him to write down the initials of anyone who hurt him. He returned to them a page of illegible scribbles.</p> <figure data-pp-id="19" data-pp-blocktype="image" class="bb-image size06 center wide-sm wrap "> <img class="" alt="" width="2040" height="2640" loading="lazy" js-autosizes src="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1035&q=75&w=800&s=d8f9266bac2559ea5fcdc723b8390921" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=518&q=75&w=400&s=7f00221c6e96ba07d017662f8571ed4d 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1035&q=75&w=800&s=d8f9266bac2559ea5fcdc723b8390921 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1553&q=75&w=1200&s=b2d5ae95e60fcf136119506a132e34db 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1682&q=75&w=1300&s=e058e985bcf87c185a1db1b68236bec6 1300w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1876&q=75&w=1450&s=ebc129caae7bdc75b0870a6557aaf811 1450w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2071&q=75&w=1600&s=e5aa0c1d6355e8db44554c6905497df9 1600w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Alijah-Writing.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2588&q=75&w=2000&s=85a9908e2a4c0199304b62c7f4584a64 2000w" /> <figcaption class="attribution"> <span class="attribution__caption">The page that Luellen gave to state police when they asked him to write down the initials of the people who hurt him.</span> <span class="attribution__credit"> <span class="a11y">Credit: </span> Illinois State Police case file </span> </figcaption> </figure> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="20.0">This June, two years after the incident, the Union County prosecutor declined to bring charges, citing insufficient evidence. State police interviewed six mental health technicians and one nurse who were working on the unit that night. Two of the mental health techs who participated in restraining Luellen were trainees; one was fired and the other resigned. Two permanent employees have been on paid administrative leave since the incident. None of the permanent employees were fired. The nurse who ordered the restraints left Choate in December 2021 and accepted a new job with the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="21.0">Reporters obtained a copy of the 911 call by making a Freedom of Information Act request to Union County and provided the agency a copy of the recording and questions about their handling of the case. But when asked about the recording, the agency spokesperson said senior officials had not listened to the 911 call and that it couldn’t be released to them because it was part of an ongoing OIG review. That review could lead to discipline against employees.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="22.0">Benita Hunter, Luellen’s aunt and legal guardian, also received the recording from reporters; hearing it for the first time left her stunned and heartbroken.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="23.0">“They’re supposed to be there to support and help the clients that they have coming in,” Hunter said. “Alijah, he wouldn’t be able to explain everything because of his developmental delays, and they know that. He cannot defend himself and speak against them.”</p> <h3 data-pp-id="24" data-pp-blocktype="heading" class="bb-heading bb-heading--standard-hed" id="elusive-justice" > Elusive Justice </h3> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="25.0">While audio evidence of abuse is rare, the actions taken by Choate staff in the aftermath of the investigation were not.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="26.0">The OIG cited Choate employees in more than four dozen cases between 2015 and 2021 for lying or providing false statements to OIG investigators; for failing to report an allegation within four hours of its discovery, as is required by law; and for other failures to follow department policy concerning the reporting and investigation of abuse and neglect, according to an analysis of OIG records by the news organizations.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="27.0">Of the 1,180 allegations of abuse and neglect made during that time frame, OIG ruled that only a tiny fraction were substantiated — meaning that it found credible evidence to support the allegation. But records and interviews make clear that investigatory missteps and lack of employee cooperation can quickly derail an investigation.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="28.0">Stacey Aschemann of Equip for Equality, a disability rights legal aid organization that officially monitors the facility for the state, said, “We commonly observe that no staff saw or heard anything, which is unlikely.”</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="29.0">She added, “We have reason to believe that there are multiple cases that would have been substantiated if additional evidence had been available.”</p> <aside class="bb-ad full | hide-print"> <div class="htlad-inline-2"></div> </aside> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="31.0">In an interview, Union County State’s Attorney Tyler Tripp said he was disturbed by the 911 recording in which Luellen was threatened. He was also troubled by the fact that he couldn’t make a case. He kept it open for two years, he said, hoping someone would come forward with more information.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="32.0">It’s not the only case in which he has encountered stonewalling that has made prosecution difficult.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="33.0">“In these types of situations, a select group of bad actors coordinate in anticipation of an investigation to get their stories straight, to obscure evidence and to frustrate the investigation,” Tripp said.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="34.0">He said investigations are typically stymied if patient testimony is not corroborated by employee witnesses. In addition, he said, some patients aren’t even able to tell police what happened. Nearly 15% of residents at Choate have a developmental disability that is diagnosed as severe or profound, and about 10% are nonverbal.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="35.0">Another case from the same year that has languished on Tripp’s desk involves a resident who alleges a Choate employee wrapped a towel around the patient’s neck until he passed out, according to two people who are intimately familiar with the investigation but not authorized to comment on it. A different staffer discovered the patient unconscious with a red mark on his neck.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="36.0">The accused employee denied the accusation and refused an interview by police. Other employees claimed they didn’t know what happened.</p> <aside data-pp-id="37" data-pp-blocktype="promo" data-pp-location="story promo" dir="ltr" class="bb-promo-story story-promo-group size04 right out02 wide-sm wrap | hide-print" > <div class="story-promo-group__logo user-level--0__show user-level--1__show"> <svg role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 574.24 75" fill="currentColor"> <title>ProPublica</title> <path d="M66.4,13.48,66,14.91l6.23,11.45,1.15.47L75,26.29V75H50.95A41.2,41.2,0,0,0,62.13,46.88a40.61,40.61,0,0,0-3.39-16.26,45.17,45.17,0,0,1,7.79-4.95l1.69-.2.14-.41L65,18.83H64.5l-.88,1.29c-2.91,1.9-4.67,2.3-8.54,3.79A41.35,41.35,0,0,0,20.46,5.42,39.87,39.87,0,0,0,0,10.91V0H75V8.81ZM57.32,47A37.54,37.54,0,0,1,44.65,75H0V16A37,37,0,0,1,57.32,47ZM43.7,37.06c0-8.13-6-12-17.75-12H7.18v3.66l4.2.95V62.2l-4.2.95v3.73H27.85V63.14l-7.18-.95V50.14h5.15C37.26,50.14,43.7,45.53,43.7,37.06Zm-9.76.27c0,5.15-2.78,8.33-7.25,8.33h-6V29.47H27C31.37,29.47,33.94,32.32,33.94,37.33Z"/><path d="M116.53,60.07l9.15,1.08v4.2H99.39v-4.2l5.28-1.36v-44l-5.28-1.36V10.41H123c15.31,0,22.9,5.28,22.9,16.13,0,11.18-8.33,17.41-23.1,17.41h-6.3Zm0-21.14h6.84c6.44,0,10.5-4.61,10.5-12.06,0-7.18-3.73-11.45-10.09-11.45h-7.25Z"/><path d="M200.74,61.15v4.2H185.9l-16-20.6h-2.51v15l5.28,1.36v4.2H150.27v-4.2l5.28-1.36V23.35l-5-1.36V17.93H175.2c10.5,0,17.55,5.08,17.55,12.67,0,8.4-5.76,12.2-11,13.55l13.48,15.79ZM167.41,39.74h4.47c5.76,0,8.81-3.18,8.81-8.88,0-5.35-2.85-7.93-8.81-7.93h-4.47Z"/><path d="M199.59,41.64c0-14.77,9.82-24.73,25.68-24.73s25.68,10,25.68,24.73-9.82,24.73-25.68,24.73S199.59,56.48,199.59,41.64Zm38.89,0c0-9.69-3.25-19.17-13.21-19.17S212.05,32,212.05,41.64s3.25,19.17,13.21,19.17S238.48,51.33,238.48,41.64Z"/><path d="M270.79,60.07l9.15,1.08v4.2H253.31v-4.2l5.62-1.36v-44l-5.62-1.36V10.41h24c15.31,0,22.9,5.28,22.9,16.13,0,11.18-8.33,17.41-23.1,17.41h-6.3Zm0-21.14h6.84c6.44,0,10.5-4.61,10.5-12.06,0-7.18-3.73-11.45-10.1-11.45h-7.25Z"/><path d="M354.26,22l-4.95,1.36V47c0,12.87-7.79,19.38-20.05,19.38-13.62,0-20.73-7.86-20.73-20v-23L303.58,22V17.93h22V22l-5.08,1.36V47.74c0,7.25,4.34,12.06,11.45,12.06,6.84,0,11.25-4.47,11.25-11.31V23.35L338.14,22V17.93h16.12Z"/><path d="M403.85,52.21c0,8.88-7.11,13.14-22,13.14H357.58v-4.2l5.56-1.36V23.35L358.26,22V17.93h23.92c12.6,0,19.51,3.79,19.51,11.72,0,6.17-4.06,9.08-10.91,9.89v.27C399.31,40.76,403.85,45.1,403.85,52.21ZM375,38.32h5.76c6.1,0,9-2.78,9-7.79,0-5.22-3.12-7.59-9-7.59H375Zm16.8,13.41c0-5.62-3.79-8.67-11.25-8.67H375V60.34h6.64C388.07,60.34,391.79,57.29,391.79,51.74Z"/><path d="M451.07,48.62l-4.4,16.73H408v-4.2l5.28-1.36V23.35L407.65,22V17.93h22.76V22l-5.28,1.36v37l14.16-.81L447,47.26Z"/><path d="M475.4,61.15v4.2H453v-4.2l5.28-1.36V23.35L453,22V17.93H475.4V22l-5.28,1.36V59.8Z"/><path d="M478,41.78c0-15.85,12.13-24.86,27-24.86a35.6,35.6,0,0,1,18.29,5.15l-2,13.21h-4.2l-1.69-9.08a13.23,13.23,0,0,0-10.09-4.13c-9.15,0-14.7,6.57-14.7,18.22,0,13.21,6.84,19.31,15.24,19.31,6.17,0,10.23-3.39,13.41-9.55l4.27,2c-4.27,10-11.65,14.36-21.07,14.36C488.4,66.37,478,56.48,478,41.78Z"/><path d="M574.24,61.15v4.2H551.48v-4.2L557,60l-2.85-8.13h-16.6l-3.12,8.2,5.42,1.15-.07,4.2-16.53-.07v-4.2l4.27-1.08,14.9-37.33-4-1.29V17.93h13.69L569.3,60Zm-27.57-31-.47-1.56-.47,1.56-6.23,16.73h12.94Z"/> </svg> </div> <div class="user-level--2__show user-level--3__show"> <div class="lead-in"> <p class="lead-in__title" id="read-more">Read More</p> </div> </div> <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-choate-mental-health-abuse-beatings" class="story-promo section-articles" > <div class="story-promo__art"> <img class="lazyload" alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" width="75" height="75" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20220901-Choate-1-Lead_2022-09-01-203753_sjfo.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.8109&fp-y=0.3603&h=75&q=70&w=75&s=5f34f0fdd7b98b3c06579a490bb6b067 75w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20220901-Choate-1-Lead_2022-09-01-203753_sjfo.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.8109&fp-y=0.3603&h=150&q=70&w=150&s=b5775f1f9c8243e01723c3df2deb4a3c 150w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20220901-Choate-1-Lead_2022-09-01-203753_sjfo.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.8109&fp-y=0.3603&h=400&q=70&w=400&s=d3ef0f13450390742fdd3ca79297c7ff 400w" /> </div> <div class="story-promo__info" dir="auto"> <strong class="story-promo__hed">A Disabled Young Patient Was Sent to Get Treatment. 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He said that in general, when he delays a decision, it’s because an investigation has brought forth some evidence but not as much as is needed to successfully prosecute a case.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="39.0">Though uncooperative facility staff had long frustrated state police investigations, administrators became the target of an investigation in January 2020. It started when two employees reported that they witnessed a colleague, Kevin Jackson, remove his belt and repeatedly use it to whip a female patient. The employees, who worked in a neighboring building, reported that they saw the assault through the victim’s bedroom window.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="40.0">After an OIG investigator notified state police of the allegation against Jackson, assistant administrators Teresa Smith and Gary Goins looked at the investigatory file and then sent a psychologist to speak with the patient while the police were still on their way, according to then-security chief Barry Smoot, in his testimony before a Union County grand jury. After the police arrived, the victim said that someone other than Jackson had hit her.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="41.0">Longstanding OIG policy had prohibited administrative involvement in abuse and neglect investigations to avoid conflicts of interest. According to Smoot, facility director Bryant Davis also accessed the file, along with Smith, on a different occasion. And state police Sgt. Rick White testified before a Union County grand jury that the administrators’ interventions were unusual and threatened to derail the investigation, court records show.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="42.0">Jackson, the mental health tech, pleaded not guilty to a felony battery charge and his case is pending. The administrators were also initially charged with felony official misconduct; the state’s attorney withdrew those charges but left open the possibility of filing new ones.</p> <aside class="bb-ad full | hide-print"> <div class="htlad-inline-2"></div> </aside> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="44.0">Senior department officials have defended the actions of the Choate administrators. Attempts to reach the administrators for comment, including facility director Davis, were not successful. Jackson declined to comment.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="45.0">State Sen. Terri Bryant, a Republican from Murphysboro whose district includes Choate, said she was alarmed by the department’s handling of this case. Shortly after the reported assault, Bryant said, she received a call from a worker informing her that employees had placed paper over the windows on the unit where the incident occurred.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="46.0">Bryant said she went to see it for herself, then called an IDHS administrator in Springfield to inquire about it. He called the facility and was told the paper had been taken down. He relayed that information to Bryant. But Bryant said she was sitting outside the building when he called her back and could see from her car that it was still up. In August, 20 months after the assault, the paper was still there.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="47.0">An IDHS spokesperson said, “At times, paper was on windows because the window fixtures were on order. The paper would have been for privacy in resident bedrooms.”</p> <figure data-pp-id="48" data-pp-blocktype="image" class="bb-image size10 center wide-sm wrap "> <img class="" alt="" width="2000" height="1500" loading="lazy" js-autosizes src="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=600&q=75&w=800&s=7b6340aefade2f3ab32a5b7a54343718" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=300&q=75&w=400&s=080ab00aefc8aa7c38a5d0b2c7b5ca16 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=600&q=75&w=800&s=7b6340aefade2f3ab32a5b7a54343718 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=900&q=75&w=1200&s=7d1fdce04b598f74102e3c006bbdf9bc 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=975&q=75&w=1300&s=ecd272a4c38b90a0d97b9a757d321bb0 1300w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1088&q=75&w=1450&s=82ede9dff7a3d8e61e320bdca306e6fe 1450w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&q=75&w=1600&s=a8487d9a9feec2130ded9c03eee1cc78 1600w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20221010-Choate-Story-3-OG-and-Embed-01.JPG?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=75&w=2000&s=4faae2df0392a6ea993a0640f7dbbba0 2000w" /> <figcaption class="attribution"> <span class="attribution__caption">Windows are covered with paper at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center.</span> <span class="attribution__credit"> <span class="a11y">Credit: </span> Whitney Curtis for ProPublica </span> </figcaption> </figure> <h3 data-pp-id="49" data-pp-blocktype="heading" class="bb-heading bb-heading--standard-hed" id="few-consequences" > Few Consequences </h3> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="50.0">Serious consequences in cases of abuse and misconduct are rare. The Illinois State Police opened at least 40 investigations at Choate over the past decade. Of those, 28, including Luellen’s case, did not result in any criminal charges, with the Union County prosecutor most frequently citing insufficient evidence as the reason for not moving forward. The other 12 investigations resulted in felony charges against 26 employees, with most pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges or having their cases dismissed entirely. (A few are pending.) Only one employee was convicted of a felony — for hiding evidence, rather than for the underlying abuse. To date, no one has served prison time.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="51.0">Beyond the lack of criminal sanctions, employees are also rarely fired for misconduct, including actions that obstruct investigations. According to a review of records where OIG cited Choate for problems, by far the most common response to the deficiencies cited was a recommendation for “retraining.” The response was included in cases where OIG cited employees for lying or otherwise impeding an investigation. One former official at Choate said the department’s retraining amounted to providing employees with a policy document and having them sign a form saying that they’d read it.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="52.0">In one 2016 case, Choate planned a training for the entire staff that addresses “late reporting of abuse/neglect, staff members encouraging, bribing or coercing individuals regarding OIG investigations and obstruction with an ongoing OIG investigation,” IDHS records show. The department redacted details about what prompted the retraining.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="53.0">In 25 cases, the department acknowledged a need to retrain workers in how to treat Choate’s clients with “dignity and respect.” IDHS’ policy for employees demands that they do not engage in dehumanizing practices, such as cursing, yelling, mocking or other cruel treatment.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="54.0">Though the details of incidents were redacted in most of these cases, employees have been cited by OIG in recent years for using racist, homophobic and derogatory language toward people with disabilities, including calling them “retards.”</p> <h3 data-pp-id="55" data-pp-blocktype="heading" class="bb-heading bb-heading--standard-hed" id="code-of-silence" > Code of Silence </h3> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="56.0">C. Thomas Cook, who has worked with people with developmental disabilities for more than 50 years across four Midwestern states, including Illinois, said that it’s not uncommon for employees in large facilities like Choate to close ranks and protect one another in the face of abuse allegations.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="57.0">When the code of silence is deeply entrenched, Cook said, it takes far more than retraining to change the culture. Things like cameras and monitors can help, Cook said, but employees also need to know that they will face strict sanctions, including criminal charges and dismissals, if they cover for abusive colleagues.</p> <aside class="bb-ad full | hide-print"> <div class="htlad-inline-2"></div> </aside> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="59.0">“There are ways to disrupt that code of silence,” Cook said. “It’s the responsibility of the people who run the programs to do it.”</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="59.1">It's especially problematic, he said, in communities where the employees are part of a tightly knit population with a common interest in protecting each other.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="60.0">That characterization could perfectly describe the facility in rural Anna, a town with a population of about 4,200. Reporters identified numerous instances in which investigations involved two or more suspects who were relatives, friends or in romantic relationships with one another, according to the police records.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="61.0">In one case, a Choate social worker offered to help police interview patients during an abuse investigation, but then police discovered she was the girlfriend of the technician who was the target of the investigation. Two recently charged employees are relatives of the current acting security chief, whose job is on the front line of investigations. He declined to comment. This August, a senior IDHS official grew concerned enough about the familial relationships between security officers and the employees they were investigating that he sent an email to select staff reminding them of the need to recuse themselves to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, emails obtained by reporters showed.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="62.0">When a facility is critical to a struggling local economy, Cook said, that can compound the incentives to cover up misconduct. Choate serves the poorest part of the state, and the facility has been Union County’s largest employer for decades. A former administrator once told The Southern Illinoisan that if Choate wasn’t there, “Anna would dry up and probably blow away.” The facility has employed generations of the same families, including that of longtime Anna Mayor Steve Hartline, whose mother and father worked there while he was growing up.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="63.0">Hartline went on to serve for decades as head of security at Choate, where his officers were the first line of inquiry when there was an allegation of patient mistreatment. Hartline said he believed the scrutiny resulting from the recent staff arrests has given Choate an unfair bad rap; he rejected the premise that employees were protecting each other.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="64.0">“There’s no such thing as a code of silence at Choate. If there is something found, such as a broken policy, it’s duly noted and dealt with by administration and labor relations,” he said.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="65.0">But Hunter, Luellen’s aunt, said that it was upsetting that the employees who threatened and mocked her nephew did not face serious consequences for their behavior. Luellen has since moved to a different state-run center about 100 miles north. But during the more than two years the young man lived at Choate, Hunter said she believed staff restrained him too often and failed to teach him skills to manage his behavior. Every time she spoke with staff, “they promised that he was getting the utmost care,” she said. “But my heart and my spirit was not telling me that he was actually receiving that from them.”</p> <hr> </p> <h3 data-pp-id="67" data-pp-blocktype="heading" class="bb-heading bb-heading--explanatory-hed" id="the-numbers-behind-choates-cover-up-culture" > The Numbers Behind Choate’s Cover-Up Culture </h3> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="68.0">Between 2015 and 2021, the Office of the Inspector General for the Illinois Department of Human Services received 1,180 allegations of abuse and neglect at Choate. But late reporting, uncooperative employees, lack of video evidence, conflicting witness accounts and other investigatory missteps can result in the OIG being unable to obtain enough evidence to substantiate an allegation — even when there are unexplained patient injuries.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="69.0">We requested these records, but OIG refused to send them all, citing state law that prohibits the release of details from unsubstantiated cases. They did send a stack of information from that same time period regarding substantiated cases, along with records from 184 cases in which the OIG identified problems and asked Choate administrators to respond with their plans for remedying the situation. These are cases in which OIG flagged serious issues, although they may not have had enough evidence to support the allegation.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="70.0">The files they sent are a record of Choate’s required responses. Most of them were heavily redacted, but they offered a window into some of the problems OIG investigators face at Choate:</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="70.1">• In 29 cases, Choate administrators acknowledged that employees failed to follow department policy concerning the reporting and investigation of abuse and neglect.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="70.2">• In 11 instances, Choate employees failed to report an allegation of abuse or neglect within four hours of discovery, as the law requires.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="70.3">• In nine cases, the OIG found that employees lied or provided false statements to investigators.</p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="70.4">• In more than one-third of the 184 cases where the OIG asked for a response, the only recommendation from Choate officials was to “retrain” employees. </p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="70.5">• In 14 cases, employees were discharged, terminated or suspended. </p> <p data-pp-blocktype="copy" data-pp-id="70.6">Ultimately, the OIG revealed that over the seven years for which we requested data, it was only able to substantiate 48 cases — roughly 4%.</p> <figure data-pp-id="71" data-pp-blocktype="callout" data-pp-location="callout" callout-slug="do-you-have-a-tip-for-propublica-help-us-do-journalism" class="bb-callout size08 center wide-sm wrap | hide-print"> <div class="lead-in"> <p class="lead-in__title" id="do-you-have-a-tip-for-propublica-help-us-do-journalism">Do You Have a Tip for ProPublica? 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It Renewed His License — Twice. </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > The Montana hospital that fired Dr. Thomas C. Weiner turned over thousands of pages of documents, but members of the board say they were unaware of them. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/j-david-mcswane">J. David McSwane</a>, ProPublica, and <span class="name">Mara Silvers</span>, <a href="https://montanafreepress.org/">Montana Free Press</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-21EDT05:00">March 21, 2025, 5 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/before-a-breath-stillbirth-documentary"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/BeforeaBreath_Still_Promo_3by2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=7f921b2a31a3cd94faa7ad9922ee7644 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/BeforeaBreath_Still_Promo_3by2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=a13a833500e73581f336f2755e1625f3 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/BeforeaBreath_Still_Promo_3by2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=502fd27f943baf1734cd920a68d99584 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/BeforeaBreath_Still_Promo_3by2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=4ec470543d346d28f72baf0db3c5c565 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <a class="story-card__series" href="https://www.propublica.org/series/stillbirths">Stillbirths</a> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/before-a-breath-stillbirth-documentary"> Thousands of Families Experience Stillbirth. Three Moms Tell Their Stories in a New Documentary. </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > More than 20,000 stillbirths occur in the U.S. each year, but 1 in 4 may be preventable. “Before a Breath” sheds light on three mothers fighting to change those statistics. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/nadia-sussman">Nadia Sussman</a>, <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/liz-moughon">Liz Moughon</a>, <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/duaa-eldeib">Duaa Eldeib</a>, <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/margaret-cheatham-williams">Margaret Cheatham Williams</a> and <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/lisa-riordan-seville">Lisa Riordan Seville</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-20EDT08:00">March 20, 2025, 8 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/glenmark-pharmaceuticals-recalls-fda-inspection"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/fda-glenmark-folo_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.9229&fp-y=0.6626&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=6ed4a5da21cf205785332f452fdd185d 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/fda-glenmark-folo_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.9229&fp-y=0.6626&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=4f8766eade447d0dd8cb249896a3cfb3 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/fda-glenmark-folo_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.9229&fp-y=0.6626&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=48b61caae07fb9b77b8451aea8983f89 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/fda-glenmark-folo_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.9229&fp-y=0.6626&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=277470649a636e3267c3b831eb8127d5 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/glenmark-pharmaceuticals-recalls-fda-inspection"> The FDA Finally Visited an Indian Drug Factory Linked to U.S. Deaths. It Found Problems. </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > The inspection comes after a ProPublica investigation revealed that drugs made at the Glenmark Pharmaceuticals plant accounted for an outsized share of U.S. recalls for pills that didn’t dissolve properly and could harm people. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/patricia-callahan">Patricia Callahan</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-20EDT06:00">March 20, 2025, 6 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/st-lukes-hospital-idaho-abortion-ban"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250307-gordon-st-lukes-controversies-3x2-72dpi.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=d54e156c324ce494fb90b15e9cd7b55f 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250307-gordon-st-lukes-controversies-3x2-72dpi.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=f81ef05460f2961b0dcf490024158079 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250307-gordon-st-lukes-controversies-3x2-72dpi.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=b606fedb0c02ca91b49edca233ee2dff 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250307-gordon-st-lukes-controversies-3x2-72dpi.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=4716e5cac1155adff34aec448001ec61 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/st-lukes-hospital-idaho-abortion-ban"> This Hospital System Fought COVID, Then a Far-Right Leader. Now It’s Taking on Idaho’s Abortion Ban. </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > St. Luke’s, Idaho’s largest health system, was outspoken in defending its staff during a backlash against masks and vaccines. It also sued right-wing figure Ammon Bundy — and won. Now it’s backing its doctors on the abortion front. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/audrey-dutton">Audrey Dutton</a>, ProPublica, and <span class="name">Kelcie Moseley-Morris</span>, <a href="https://statesnewsroom.com/">States Newsroom</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-12EDT05:00">March 12, 2025, 5 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/lincare-wrongful-death-lawsuit-sleep-apnea-oxygen"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/Big-Oxygen-Death-Lawsuit-Promo.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5011&fp-y=0.3409&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=a1295b163e7c00ddbf2288320123d82b 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/Big-Oxygen-Death-Lawsuit-Promo.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5011&fp-y=0.3409&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=d0620e9a1574415bc96a382b9f8cf579 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/Big-Oxygen-Death-Lawsuit-Promo.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5011&fp-y=0.3409&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=f8d28da5112952e88b044fefd6abfc66 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/Big-Oxygen-Death-Lawsuit-Promo.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5011&fp-y=0.3409&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=8af3d22a189b91c8ba90c3c4984d90c4 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/lincare-wrongful-death-lawsuit-sleep-apnea-oxygen"> What a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Reveals About America’s Largest Oxygen Provider </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > When an at-risk sleep apnea patient needed his breathing machine replaced, Lincare, a $2.4 billion behemoth with a decadeslong history of regulatory and legal problems, acted slowly. The result was disastrous. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/peter-elkind">Peter Elkind</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-10EDT06:00">March 10, 2025, 6 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/missouri-pregnancy-resource-centers-anti-abortion-tax-credit-bill"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/MO-Abortion-SB681-v2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=04698f4436ecdb36c69f7be1236d8847 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/MO-Abortion-SB681-v2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=69ce7846eae881790981e5fd4952dd9f 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/MO-Abortion-SB681-v2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=818d9bf6e4fe74e4d375964259ef0727 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/MO-Abortion-SB681-v2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=fcec0e7990ea5107e4de5c196a0ca578 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/missouri-pregnancy-resource-centers-anti-abortion-tax-credit-bill"> A New Missouri Bill Would Let Residents Donate to Anti-Abortion Centers Instead of Paying Any Taxes </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > Four months after Missouri voted to legalize abortion, Republican lawmakers are proposing a 100% tax credit — capped at $50,000 per year — for taxpayers who donate to crisis pregnancy centers. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/jeremy-kohler">Jeremy Kohler</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-05EST05:00">March 5, 2025, 5 a.m. EST</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div> <div class="article-recirc__most-read"> <div class="most-read | hide-print" data-pp-location="most read"> <strong class="most-read__heading">Most Read</strong> <ol class="most-read-group"> <div class="most-read-story"> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-spacex-allows-china-investment-cayman-islands-secrecy"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250318-spacex-china-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=dcda596facc7514b94064e1d1b40567d 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250318-spacex-china-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=d6137d53f37287bbc5512361eac0ec38 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250318-spacex-china-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=03509b2ec4a3e83beea82c85dd1a4700 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250318-spacex-china-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=1d29f100e8f05eb0d83b9e853ce3775e 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-spacex-allows-china-investment-cayman-islands-secrecy"> How Elon Musk’s SpaceX Secretly Allows Investment From China </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > As a U.S. military contractor, SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say. “It is certainly a policy of obfuscation,” an expert said. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/joshua-kaplan">Joshua Kaplan</a> and <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/justin-elliott">Justin Elliott</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-26EDT06:00">March 26, 2025, 6 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="most-read-story"> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-hud-texas-housing-discrimination-cases-dallas-houston"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/GettyImages-840246770-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=1835832ca2e66174c5fcdb8a1d145817 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/GettyImages-840246770-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=a967ac97b7fd1ee1f6eba9e469e812a2 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/GettyImages-840246770-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=1dab50cbb00d8b94abea36beecb9b680 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/GettyImages-840246770-1.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=b08c338bb3d6efb32d6b33df6596142b 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-hud-texas-housing-discrimination-cases-dallas-houston"> Federal Investigators Were Preparing Two Texas Housing Discrimination Cases — Until Trump Took Over </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > The government spent years probing allegations that a Dallas HOA created rules to kick poor Black people out and that Texas discriminated against minority residents in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, only to suddenly reverse course under Trump. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/jesse-coburn">Jesse Coburn</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-25EDT07:00">March 25, 2025, 7 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="most-read-story"> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a 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https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/GettyImages-2195569531_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=10bd1566a5f179da716fe96c737fc355 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/GettyImages-2195569531_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=901c560cb3c42bd667bd92e8400f7635 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/ice-warrantless-arrests-chicago-law"> Under Pressure From Trump, ICE Is Pushing Legal Boundaries </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > Confrontations with judges are grabbing attention, but more quietly a pattern of questionable arrests shows the extent to which the administration is willing to test norms and laws. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/vernal-coleman">Vernal Coleman</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-25EDT06:00">March 25, 2025, 6 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="most-read-story"> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/tce-ban-cancer-parkinsons-trump-republicans"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250325-McFadden-EPA-TCE-Ban-03_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.6146&fp-y=0.2524&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=f7195361bfc67219ff06978523f875c2 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250325-McFadden-EPA-TCE-Ban-03_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.6146&fp-y=0.2524&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=a1b7df6fb64b21421cf607795f234367 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250325-McFadden-EPA-TCE-Ban-03_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.6146&fp-y=0.2524&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=790e4f293ea0a01d121bb3efb36a2238 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250325-McFadden-EPA-TCE-Ban-03_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.6146&fp-y=0.2524&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=1d8c3a4b49e58fb68c76ac853f7e87d7 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/tce-ban-cancer-parkinsons-trump-republicans"> TCE Is Linked to Heart Defects in Babies, Cancer and Parkinson’s. Republicans in Congress Want to Reverse a Ban on It. </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > The toxic substance, used in dry cleaning and manufacturing, has been linked to a host of serious health problems. A Biden-era ban on the chemical has faced multiple challenges since Trump took office. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/sharon-lerner">Sharon Lerner</a> and <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/lisa-song">Lisa Song</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-26EDT05:00">March 26, 2025, 5 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="most-read-story"> <div class="story-card story-card--standard"> <div class="lead-art"> <a class="aspect-3-2" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/matthew-allison-dj-terrogram-collective-boise-dallas-humber"> <img alt="" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%273%27%20height%3D%272%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E" srcset="https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250324-terrorgram-allison-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.7498&fp-y=0.4006&h=267&q=75&w=400&s=3564faddfab9c85d6cdd08210e454f5b 400w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250324-terrorgram-allison-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.7498&fp-y=0.4006&h=533&q=75&w=800&s=d3bb3a898eefa2031bb081e30a33f2db 800w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250324-terrorgram-allison-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.7498&fp-y=0.4006&h=800&q=75&w=1200&s=e0aca258efb6575a106d919a4f48f1bf 1200w, https://img.assets-d.propublica.org/v5/images/20250324-terrorgram-allison-3x2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=webp&fp-x=0.7498&fp-y=0.4006&h=1067&q=75&w=1600&s=5ba1f33499ac04c8db6ea157b8146cb9 1600w" width="400" height="267" loading="lazy" js-autosizes /> </a> </div> <div class="story-card__description"> <a class="story-card__series" href="https://www.propublica.org/series/the-rise-and-fall-of-terrorgram">Inside Terrorgram</a> <h3 class="story-card__hed" > <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/matthew-allison-dj-terrogram-collective-boise-dallas-humber"> A “Goofy” DJ’s Secret Life at the Center of an Online Terrorism Network </a> </h3> <p class="story-card__dek" > To friends, Matthew Allison was a likeable part of Boise, Idaho’s electronic music scene. But behind his computer screen, authorities say, he helped lead the Terrorgram Collective, an online network that inspired white supremacist violence. </p> <p class="story-card__byline"> <span class="story-card__byline-author"> by <a class="name" href="https://www.propublica.org/people/james-bandler">James Bandler</a>, ProPublica, <span class="name">A.C. Thompson</span>, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, and <span class="name">Max Maldonado</span>, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/">FRONTLINE</a>, </span> <span class="story-card__byline-dateline"> <time class="timestamp" datetime="2025-03-25EDT05:00">March 25, 2025, 5 a.m. EDT</time> </span> </p> </div> </div> </div> </ol>  </div>  </div> </div> </div> <style> /* re-assert som CSS Custom Properties from v5 */ .admin-shortcuts { --fonts-sans: "Graphik", sans-serif; --scale0: 1rem; --scale-1: 13px; --scale-2: 11px; --scale-3: 9px; --spacing-2: 4px; --spacing-1: 8px; --spacing0: 16px; --spacing1: 24px; --spacing2: 32px; --spacing3: 64px; } .admin-shortcuts { position: fixed; z-index: 10000; bottom: 0; right: var(--spacing0); width: auto; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: center; align-content: center; gap: var(--spacing0); padding: var(--spacing-1) var(--spacing0); background-color: black; color: white; font-size: var(--scale-1); font-family: var(--fonts-sans); 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911 Call Reveals Abuse at Choate — ProPublica