WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — The CEO Great Circle, a child behavioral welfare organization, is facing multiple child endangerment charges.
Vincent D. Hillyer was arrested and charged with six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of attempted endangering the welfare of a child and one count of fourth-degree assault by St. Louis County Prosecutors.
A press release from the Webster Groves Police Department said officers carried out a search warrant at the Great Circle Campus on North Gore Avenue in Webster Grove. The warrant was issued in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Social Services Children's Division.
Charging documents said the attempted endangering the welfare of a child and the fourth-degree assault charges were from an alleged choking incident.
The charging documents said children's services got a hotline call about the incident. The documents said Hillyer was shown on video choking and restraining a young child.
Great Circle's website lists Hillyer as the CEO. His bio says he is a licensed clinical social worker and board-certified diplomate in clinical social work. A statement Wednesday said Hillyer requested to be placed on administrative leave during the investigation. Chief Operating Officer Paula Fleming and Chief of Staff John Money have jointly assumed his role, the statement said.
The release did not provide more information about why the charges were filed.
The full statement from Great Circle is as follows:
During this difficult time and always, Great Circle’s focus every day is on serving the behavioral health needs of children and families in the organization’s community. To ensure continuity of operations and deep commitment to those we serve, Vince Hillyer has asked to be placed on administrative leave, effective immediately. Chief Operating Officer Paula Fleming and Chief of Staff John Money have jointly assumed his role, bringing a combined 38 years of experience at Great Circle and extensive behavioral health expertise.
As a Board, we have full faith in the Great Circle team and its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of the nearly 45,000 children and families we serve. We remain confident in the therapeutic approach used in Great Circle facilities.
As always, Great Circle will cooperate fully with any and all reviews of the care provided at its facilities.
They also released this statement:
While we cannot comment on this particular situation, we can tell you that all Great Circle staff members have many avenues to report concerns and, in fact, are encouraged and expected to raise any questions or concerns they may have about issues related to client treatment or behavior. We encourage such discussions as part of our commitment to quality treatment.
Additionally, because of our commitment to quality, Great Circle is accredited and/or licensed by The Joint Commission and multiple regulatory agencies. Great Circle is accountable to rigorous, independent, third party review of our programs, along with routine measurement and reporting of our performance.