St. Lawrence Psych Center resident dies after assault
St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg, NY. Photo: Lizette Haenel
Really sad news this week from Ogdensburg. A resident at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center died after being assaulted by another patient (report from the Watertown Daily Times.) In a news release, the Ogdensburg Police Department said Robert D. Harrienger II, who was 58, was assaulted at about 6:00 Monday night, and died of his injuries on Tuesday at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.
The Ogdensburg Police Department’s press release on Harrienger’s death. Click to enlarge.
Harrienger’s funeral notice says he had worked as a laborer in the psychiatric center’s garage, before retiring because of disability. The Office of Mental Health told the Watertown Daily Times that it’s prohibited by law from sharing too much information about the case, as it might lead to disclosure of protected health information.
Police say they’ve identified a person of interest in the case and are trying to figure out how they might charge that person. OMH spokesperson Benjamin Rosen also told the paper that Harrienger’s assailant was not a patient in the psych center’s locked Sex Offender Treatment Program.
This is very sad and very serious.
It will take a while to sort out, but management itself and the systems in place for the safety and security of all the residents will really have to be reviewed.