Tucked away off Southwest 27th Avenue, not far from the Paddock Mall, The Vines Hospital quietly goes about its work of helping teens, adults and seniors who suffer from psychiatric or substance abuse problems.

Tucked away off Southwest 27th Avenue, not far from the Paddock Mall, The Vines Hospital quietly goes about its work of helping teens, adults and seniors who suffer from psychiatric or substance abuse problems.



The 64-bed hospital has been owned by Ocala Behavioral Health LLC since 2008. In 2010 it opened an outpatient counseling clinic in The Villages, although that clinic later closed.



But these days the hospital is engaged more in damage control than expansion.



The Vines just settled one lawsuit and now faces another — both filed by former patients or their families.



A former employee is being prosecuted in criminal court, charged with breaking a juvenile patient's arm.



And the Ocala Police Department reports receiving 772 calls for service at The Vines since Jan. 1, 2011. Of those calls, 57 involved criminal activity including battery (35 calls), assault and petit theft (three each) auto burglaries (two) and one each for attempted homicide and homicide.



In November, for an undisclosed amount, The Vines settled a lawsuit brought by the family of Ramon Sanchez.



In November 2012, Christopher Love, now 66, killed Sanchez, 75, while they roomed together at The Vines. Love suffocated Sanchez with a mattress. An original claim that Love raped Sanchez was later determined to be unfounded.



The state charged Love with second-degree murder, but a judge found him not guilty by reason of insanity and committed him for treatment.



Sanchez's wife of 50 years, seeking upwards of $15,000 in damages, filed a wrongful death lawsuit.



“The Vines knew or should have known that Christopher J. Love was a man with a history and propensity for violence and aggression,” the plaintiffs' attorneys alleged. “Throughout Mr. Sanchez's stay at The Vines Hospital he exhibited sexually inappropriate and combative conduct. Nevertheless, The Vines, by and through its employees, saw fit to place Mr. Sanchez with a roommate and not in his own room. Predictably, there was conflict and violence that took place between Mr. Sanchez and his roommate.”



Robert Brown, of Pennekamp Law in Miami, said Sanchez's family was devastated by the death.



“They are hopeful that things have changed,” he said. Brown declined to comment on the case's resolution because there is further continued litigation against another defendant.



According to the court clerk's records, Sanchez's widow in October sought an extension of time to file a professional malpractice lawsuit. The defendant was not named.



As for The Vines: “We don't comment on pending litigation nor do we comment on past litigation,” said Jay Cohen, an attorney who has represented the hospital in court.



Pending litigation refers to a suit filed in November by former patient Denise Godfrey, who seeks more than $15,000 in damages. Godfrey said she was “violently attacked” by a roommate while talking on the phone, according to court paperwork filed by her attorney, Christopher Hinckley.



Godfrey suffered injuries and accuses The Vines of negligence. In response, the hospital said it bears no responsibility and/or liability because whatever happened was beyond the care, custody or control of The Vines.



The hospital further stated that Godfrey herself acted in a negligent and careless manner and therefore contributed to her own injuries.



As for criminal activity: On Feb. 22, 2012, Ocala police were called to The Vines and found a 14-year-old boy accused of repeatedly stabbing a 15-year-old boy with a fluorescent light bulb.



The accused attacker was charged with attempted murder.



About a year later a felony charge was filed against a Vines staffer accused of breaking a 13-year-old patient's arm.



Lennox Seepersad, who worked as a mental health technician, is accused of aggravated child abuse in the February 2013 incident.



According to Ocala police, the boy was sent to bed with a dose of Tylenol after the 8 p.m. altercation. He wasn't taken to Munroe Regional Medical Center until around 8:30 a.m. the next day.



Doctors discovered a spiral fracture of the upper left arm, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.



The case remains pending in felony court, with an April status conference scheduled.



From Feb. 22 to March 14 of that year, a moratorium on new patients was in place. The Vines eventually was hit with a $10,000 administrative sanction from AHCA, which called the hospital's inaction a threat to the safety, health or welfare of the public and children residing in the facility.



In May 2013 The Vines said it was once again in AHCA's good graces. “The entire staff at The Vines Hospital worked diligently to correct the issues while maintaining the hospital fully operational with no disruption of services,” said Scott Price, associate administrator/director of business development.



According to AHCA records, The Vines has been cited for 38 violations since Jan. 29, 2013. Among the violations: failing to report an incident of alleged sexual misconduct.



In that case, a patient said a male mental health tech came into her room while her roommate was changing and stood in the doorway until she dressed. About 10 minutes later, the same incident occurred again, according to AHCA, but was never reported to law enforcement, as required.



Contact April Warren at 867-4065 or april.warren@ocala.com.