Two former guards at the Nassau County Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) recently pleaded guilty to lesser charges involving a scheme in which they extorted more than $20,000 in protection money from the parents of a 15-year-old juvenile offender incarcerated at the Westbury facility.

Bobby Stewart of West Babylon and Sean Bourne of Middle Island were arrested in February following an undercover operation by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. The men were charged with second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, for allegedly extorting money from the 15-year-old's parents by instilling fears about the inmate's safety.

Stewart, 33, however, pleaded guilty on charges of third-degree larceny and faces up to seven years in prison. According to published reports, the plea bargain came a day before a grand jury was scheduled to hear testimony on the charges. Bourne, 28, who also faced charges of second-degree grand larceny, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation. He also waived his rights to work at the center again and must pay a $250 fine.

Stewart is scheduled for sentencing on July 15. According to a spokesperson from the DA's office, a sentencing date for Bourne had not been set as of press time.

The parents who fell victim to the scheme are currently suing Nassau County for federal rights violations. The Suffolk couple are basing their lawsuit on the grounds that the men, employed at the center as group aides, demanded they pay more than $20,000 to protect their 15-year-old son. They also charged that the employees allegedly provided alcohol and marijuana to the children at the center.

The JDC, a coed facility which houses approximately three dozen juvenile offenders from Nassau and Suffolk counties, was established in 1955 to house children who are classified as juvenile delinquents (JD) or juvenile offenders (JO). Residents are placed in groups of six to eight children depending on the population and each group is supervised by a group worker aide at all times. The role of the aide is to observe, interact and intervene and report any unusual behavior.

Last month, the Nassau County Legislature held a public meeting to review current practices and procedures at the county facility. At the hearing, the legislature listened to testimonies from JDC officials and gathered information on everything from the physical plant and security at the facility to staffing and preparation of meals. The meeting was called by Legislators Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin), chair of the legislature's Public Safety Committee, and Deputy Presiding Officer Roger Corbin (D-Westbury), chair of the Health Committee and in whose district the JDC lies.

At the hearing, Corbin said the legislature discussed the condition and operation of the facility, including what type of food is served and how they are being serviced to the age and salaries of the employees. Although Robert Sherman, commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Social Services, and Anthony Cancellieri, deputy county executive in charge of overseeing public safety issues, have questioned the possibility of moving the JDC to a building on the grounds of the Nassau County jail, Corbin stated that is not an option.

"Three or four years ago, [former County Executive Thomas] Gulotta and [former Republican Majority Officer Bruce] Blakeman wanted to close the facility down and house the kids in the Nassau Correctional Facility," said Corbin in a recent telephone interview. "I was adamantly, adamantly opposed and I am still opposed to that. [By doing that] you would actually, in a sense, be putting these youngsters in jail. Even though they would not have been with the grown-ups, just going into that environment itself does not lend for any kind of hope to rehabilitate these kids and try to get them on the right track."

Corbin also stated that the legislature obtained a great deal of information at the hearing from Commissioner Sherman and those that run the detention center. "We held the hearing to do fact-finding and find out how we can best correct what went wrong in that facility," he said. "There is no way that this legislative body, 19 of us, and the administration, would tolerate that kind of behavior with the employees. We have put our hands on some things that I think are really important in terms of trying to turn this thing around and hopefully we can publicly correct what went wrong."

The report containing the information gathered at the hearing and suggestions is due back in the next week or two. The administration will also process a report and a meeting will be called with the commissioner of the New York State Office of Family and Children's Services to discuss follow-up procedures.