The state's juvenile corrections monitor said Tuesday he investigated four incidents at South Dakota's programs for juvenile offenders in Custer during the last half of 2007.

John Ellis said one of the cases involved a staff member who filled a boy's hat with snow and then threw it at the boy, and another featured a volunteer from a ministerial association who told some boys they would go to hell if they followed Native American religious beliefs.

Ellis told the Legislature's Government Operations and Audit Committee that he was contacted 239 times by juveniles in the Custer programs from July 1 through Dec. 31 last year, but only four incidents required formal written reports.

The juvenile corrections monitor is required to report every six months to the legislative panel. Juveniles can file complaints in lock boxes or approach Ellis during his frequent visits to Custer.

Ellis said in one case, a staff member took a boy's hat because the juvenile was not wearing it in the required manner. When the group went outside, the staff member apparently dropped the hat, filled it with snow and then threw it at the boy's face.

"That wellness instructor walked off the job at that point. He turned in his keys and his radio and said 'I can't work with you anymore,"' Ellis said.

Ellis said he also recommended that the Corrections Department investigate another instance in which a volunteer told juveniles they might go to hell. He said seven of the eight boys he talked with confirmed the incident happened, but the volunteer's comments did not fit the legal definition of abuse or neglect.

"Several of the boys commented that this particular volunteer had told them they were going to hell if they practiced their Native American beliefs or if they practiced a religion that was different, held different religious beliefs than what he held," Ellis said.

A third case involved a teacher who admitted making an inappropriate comment to students but regretted it immediately, Ellis said. "His remorse seemed just as sincere as the girls' being upset sounded sincere."

The teacher's comments did not amount to abuse or neglect, Ellis said.

The fourth instance was a continuation of an earlier case involving a lack of discipline in a girls' dormitory, Ellis said. Some rudeness and unnecessary comments directed toward staff members led to more severe problems, he said.

"Everything seems to have worked out well. It's been very quiet," he said.

State Juvenile Services Director Doug Hermann also told the legislative panel that four allegations of abuse and neglect were investigated in the last half of last year in private facilities that treat some of South Dakota's juvenile offenders. No abuse or neglect was found in those four cases, he said.

Young people with specialized problems, such as chronic mental illness or aggressive behavior, are sent to a variety of private facilities in South Dakota and other states. South Dakota's main programs for juvenile offenders are located in Custer, and the state also provides treatment and residential care for some juveniles after they are released from programs.