BLACKSBURG Va.
The executive director of a mental health agency that had a
role in treatment for the Virginia Tech student who killed 32 people and
himself has quit after a year in the position.
Les Saltzberg resigned from New River Valley Community
Services following a board meeting, agency officials confirmed Monday. The
board was expected to consider renewing his one-year contract.
Board members said the resignation on Thursday was unrelated
to the April 16 killings committed on the Virginia Tech campus by Seung-Hui
Cho.
Saltzberg declined to comment.
At a commitment hearing for Cho in December 2005, a special
justice determined he was a danger to himself and ordered him to undergo
outpatient treatment. The community services board was required by law to
recommend a treatment plan for him, but did not do so.
Saltzberg has said the agency did not know treatment had
been ordered for Cho because budget constraints had prompted it to stop sending
representatives to all commitment hearings. Since the shootings, the agency has
resumed sending representatives to hearings.
A previous version of this story contained a headline that
said “Va. Tech mental health director resigns.” This version
clarifies that the director did not work for the university.
– Associated Press
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
