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Move toward justice in boot camp case

If guards went beyond approved methods, they should face the consequences.

A second autopsy on the body of Martin Lee Anderson, the 14-year-old who died at a Bay County boot camp, should bring this tragedy closer to a just ending. Anderson collapsed after guards restrained him, held his mouth shut and forced him to inhale ammonia. That caused death by asphyxiation, said Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams, who conducted the autopsy.

Adams' conclusion differs from the findings of the first autopsy and raises troubling questions about how the initial investigation was conducted. Bay County Medical Examiner Charles F. Siebert Jr. ruled that Anderson had died of complications related to sickle cell trait, a blood disorder. That outcome never made sense to those who saw a videotape of Anderson's ordeal at the hands of guards, as he was roughed up and restrained for more than 30 minutes while a nurse stood by without intervening.

The use of ammonia as a compliance technique was never fully addressed in the first autopsy, either. Ammonia capsules are commonly used to revive someone who has fainted, but a doctor who observed the second autopsy said the capsules were used improperly by guards. They held Anderson's mouth shut and forced the capsules into his nose. Normally the capsules are held several inches from the face.

Adams concluded that the chemical irritant caused the teen's vocal cords to spasm and shut off his airway. Certainly the new finding justifies the Legislature's decision to close state boot camps. Physical abuse has no place in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders.

Now Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober, who took over the investigation at the request of Gov. Jeb Bush, should be able to wrap things up. While he has been under pressure to act quickly, justice will best be served with a strong case rather than a rush to judgment. If guards went beyond approved methods of restraint, then they should have to face the consequences.

Still unresolved is the wide gap between the two autopsies' findings. Siebert stuck by his opinion that sickle cell trait caused Anderson's death, and said he expects the Florida Medical Examiners Commission to review his performance. The state should resolve the discrepancy, because many important decisions turn on a medical examiner's honesty and competence.

A young life was unnecessarily lost, but it could be Anderson's legacy that his death helped fix a broken system.

[Last modified May 9, 2006, 07:40:33]