Sexual abuse charges against Bryan Antwann Vaughan have been dropped because an alleged victim can’t be found. On November 14, Vaughan appeared in the Charlottesville Circuit Court to be tried, only to have the case suspended indefinitely. The assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, Elizabeth Killeen, asked that the charges be "null prossed," or not prosecuted, at this time due to lost contact with one of the two victims. Charges can still be brought back before a grand jury at a later date.
This was to have been a retrial for Vaughan, based on a hung jury result at the initial March 19 trial. He is accused of sexually abusing two underage female residents at Charlottesville’s Whisper Ridge, a health facility that treats 13- to 17-year olds with behavioral and psychiatric problems based on mental illness or drug abuse. Vaughan worked there as a specialist and was formally charged in August of 2006 with touching and having consensual intercourse with one female victim, and inappropriately touching the other. Four other Whisper Ridge employees were indicted that same August, with crimes ranging from sex with a minor in a custodial role to contributing to delinquency. The indictments were a result of internal investigations by the State Department of Mental Health.
 Bryan Antwann Vaughan was facing a retrial for sexual abuse charges, but city Commonwealth’s attorneys opted not to prosecute because they have lost contact with one of the victims. |
One of the indicted employees, Bianca Nicole Johnson, pleaded guilty on June 20 to having carnal knowledge of a minor while under her care and signed a plea agreement to assist city prosecutors with the prosecution of other allegations involving Whisper Ridge employees.
Previously known as the Brown Schools, Whisper Ridge is a for-profit business that was purchased by Tennessee-based Psychiatric Solutions Inc. in 2003. Before changing names and hands, the Brown Schools incurred over 100 human rights and licensing violations issued by the state of Virginia.
 Whisper Ridge, a health facility that treats 13- to 17-year-olds with behavioral and psychiatric problems, has had several former employees indicted for crimes ranging from sex with a minor to contributing to delinquency. |
Vaughan continues to deny the charges, but Killeen suggested in court that he may be involved in additional cases.
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