MILFORD, Del.- A correctional officer is recovering after being punched in the face Sunday evening at the Stevenson House Juvenile Detention Center in Milford.
According to Milford police, the 16-year-old boy hit the officer shortly after 6 n.m. The officer was treated and released at the hospital. The teen was charged with second-degree assault with physical injury to a state employee, assault in a detention facility with physical injury, and terroristic threatening.
Donald McIlvain, president of Local Chapter 3384 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said Sunday's incident is a sign of a larger problem facing the center, inadequate staffing.
"The department relies heavily on seasonal employees that work full time hours but don't receive benefits," he said.
McIlvain said until the state offers more attractive pay and benefits, qualified applicants will be in short supply.
"Nobody wants to come here and get spit on and get kicked and hit and punched and assaulted and it's hard to recruit good help," McIlvain said.
Dawn K. Thompson, a spokesperson for the Delaware Children's Department, said in a statement that the department is aware of the incident and that it was "quickly and appropriately diffused by staff and reported to the local police."
"The Delaware Children’s Department makes it a top priority to protect the health and safety of Stevenson House staff and juvenile offenders," Thompson said.
