On July 15, a grand jury indicted a now-closed California school and three of its employees on charges connected with the death of one of its students in 2018.
According to the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, the Guiding Hands School, Inc., was indicted on a single count of involuntary manslaughter. School employees Cindy Keller, the executive director; Starrane Meyers, principal; and teacher Kimberly Wohlwend were also indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges. In addition, the school and its employees were previously criminally charged with a felony count of involuntary manslaughter.
On November 28, 2018, Max Benson was allegedly restrained with his face pressed down on the floor for an hour. Max lost consciousness while restrained. His condition initially stabilized after another teacher performed CPR.
Max was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center, where he died two days later. All three school employees have entered not guilty pleas to both the indictments and the criminal charges.
After Max’s tragic death, the Guiding Hands School’s certification was suspended by the California Department of Education. As a result, the school closed down permanently. It had been in operation for 25 years. The Guiding Hands School was privately operated but publicly funded. It was an educational institution for students whose needs could not be met in a traditional classroom setting.
There is an active Facebook group dedicated to getting Justice for Max Benson.
The next step in this ongoing case is a pretrial hearing for all defendants, scheduled on September 2, 2022.
