CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. -- For one group of teenage girls, it is going to be a weekend they won’t forget. They are not under arrest, but their actions have gotten them into trouble.
“Some have already offended. They are at risk-- their parents have tried other means, counseling, other things, but those things hadn’t worked and they’re looking for something a bit more dynamic,” said an officer with the Chester County Sheriff’s Department.
"Dynamic" doesn’t do it justice.
Troubled teens from as far away as Wisconsin have suffered the shock and awe of Chester County’s Project Storm Program.
Zoey Clayton lives down the road. Her grandmother said her behavior earned her a spot here.
“She will scream. She pitches fits if she don’t get her way-- it’s her way or no way. We’ve had police out to the house. She has smashed things, tore them up and she’s done this since she was three.”
Zoey is one of 500 kids who have passed through this gauntlet in the last four years. The majority of graduates never reoffend.
“We want to show them this is not the life you want. All the yelling, all the exercise we put them through-- and by the time it’s over, they don’t want to come back here,” said officers running the program.
While the kids do their best not to break under pressure, family members take a parenting class.
It’s exhausting for all involved, but Chester County Officers said it’s one of the few things they can do to be proactive.
“I get tired of going to shootings and seeing these young men or women laying on the ground dead, so any program that's successful that can save these kids, I’m a hundred percent behind it.”
And 100% is what it will take if these young ladies are going to survive with their cool intact.
If you're interested in signing up, call the Chester County Sheriff's Office at (803) 581-5131.
