Arizona boot camp counselor pleads guilty to negligent homicide in teen's death

PHOENIX -- Authorities announced a deal Wednesday under which a counselor at a tough-love boot camp will plead guilty to a lesser charge in connection with the death of a teenage camper and cooperate in a case against the camp's director.

Troy A. Hutty was one of two counselors who put Anthony Haynes, 14, in a motel bathtub to cool him after he collapsed in triple-digit heat last summer. The teen later died of complications of dehydration and near-drowning.

As part of the deal, prosecutors will recommend that a judge sentence Hutty to probation on a negligent homicide charge. Hutty was originally indicted for manslaughter, which carries a maximum 12 1/2 years in jail.

Director Charles Long II was charged last week in the teen-ager's death. Two other staffers also face charges.

"We want the truth," prosecutor Rick Romley said. Hutty's cooperation "allows us to get not just a clearer understanding but things we not might otherwise get without him."

Hutty's attorney, Gary Beren, did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.

Haynes died July 1 after being made to stand in the sun for up to five hours, then being left in the bathtub, the medical examiner's office said.

Haynes was attending a five-week boot camp near Phoenix operated by the America's Buffalo Soldiers Re-enactors Association. The camp was shut down after the teen's death, although the group still operates other programs.

Long is charged with second-degree murder, along with eight counts of child abuse. He planned to plead innocent at his arraignment Friday, said his attorney, David Smith. He remains held on $100,000 bail.

The camp included forced marches, wearing black uniforms in the desert, harsh discipline and a daily diet of an apple, a carrot and a bowl of beans.

Lawsuits have been filed by Haynes' parents and a woman who claimed her son was beaten, forced to eat mud and deprived of sleep.

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