nothin State Investigating Limo Ride To Polls | New Haven Independent

State Investigating Limo Ride To Polls

A last-minute limo ride to the polls on Election Day has potentially landed a West Hills drug- and alcohol-treatment center in trouble with two state agencies.

The state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) temporarily suspended new admissions to the residential treatment center, Crossroads, Inc., as it pursues an investigation into serious allegations” about the ride given to a dozen female patients there.

Upon the women’s return to Crossroads from the polls, it was reported that alcohol had been consumed on the ride.

Allan Appel Photo


Community activist Yul Watley
(pictured), who was transporting voters to the polls all that day on behalf of the mayoral campaign of Democrat Toni Harp, drove the women to the 200 Orange St. polling place in a stretch limousine he rented for the day. He called the allegations of alcohol use during the ride bull.” He took the above video of his arrival at the polls, where he urged women to hurry to vote before the polls closed. (The video has been darkened to protect the women’s identities.)

The state Department of Health has also launched an investigation into a complaint about Crossroads, according to spokeswoman Diana Lejardi. She declined to offer more details.

DMHAS spokeswoman Mary Kate Mason issued the following statement:

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) was made aware last week that individuals residing at Crossroads Inc. in New Haven, a DMHAS funded contractor, were provided transportation to a polling place during the November 5, 2013 municipal election. In order to investigate serious allegations related to this incident DMHAS suspended admissions to the facility. DMHAS has begun an investigation of the reported incident and admissions have been re-opened. As a result of the investigation DMHAS will meet with representatives from the Crossroads Board of Directors to discuss and make recommendation regarding the corrective actions the Board proposes to implement. DMHAS will also meet with the agency Executive Director to discuss the seriousness of these allegations and to review all agency efforts to follow policies that ensure client care is the top priority.

As with all contracts, DMHAS will continue to actively monitor Crossroads of New Haven making sure that the agency provides the highest quality care and that state funded programs are meeting the needs of the Department’s clients.”

Mason said in a phone conversation Friday that DMHAS decided to reopen admissions once we were satisfied that, going forward, client care will not be compromised.”

She said Crossroads has a $3.5 million contract with the agency this year. Much of that money flows through DMHAS from the state judicial system; residents often stay there as a court-ordered alternative to incarceration.

Crossroads board Chairwoman Genoveva Palmieri said Friday that her agency is taking the allegations seriously and conducting its own investigation into the incident.

She said Crossroads did arrange to have residents taken to the polls to vote.

There was a serious problem in that a staff member did not go with them” on the ride, Palmieri said. Crossroads should have had someone in the car, she said. She said the board has not taken action against any individuals, pending the conclusion of its inquiry.

Yul Watley said he had transported two groups of residents from Crossroads to 200 Orange St. on election night. He went downtown because both groups needed to register in order to vote, he said. Connecticut this year launched Election Day Registration, allowing people to register and vote on the same day.

First he took a group of men to the polls in his stretch limo, Watley said. He said Alderman Doug Hausladen, who was at the polls, instructed the men they first had to go to City Hall to register before they could cast votes. They did. (Hausladen Friday confirmed the account. There were about 12 guys,” he said.)

Then Watley returned about an hour later with the women. The 8 p.m. poll-closing hour was approaching. Watley hurried them into the polls to vote. Watley said he was confused; he didn’t realize they had to go register first in City Hall.

The women showed up at the polls to learn they couldn’t cast votes. Then the hour of 8 struck. They never got to vote. Watley drove them back to Crossroads.

That was disappointment enough for Watley.

Then he was approached on a subsequent day to explain why women returned allegedly smelling of alcohol and reporting that they’d been drinking beer in the limo, Watley said. He said he told a board member as well as the agency’s director that he knew of no such alcohol consumption.

I have no idea where that came from. I heard that one girl said that there was beer in the car or something when the girls got out. One girl had a beer, whatever. And I spoke with them and I told them, I have no idea where it came from or anything.’ We had sodas in the back for the voters,” Watley said Friday.

When I got them all out the car and everything, I didn’t smell anything.

If it did happen, I didn’t have any control over it. I sincerely doubt that it happened. …

This is total bull. We’re going to pick up and have them in the back drinking? Especially these people coming from Crossroads? We didn’t provide any beer.”

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