---

---

Nearly two years after 9-year-old Codey Duclos died inside a concrete sand hopper at a city business, the proprietor of Quality Concrete is facing a manslaughter charge related to the death.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s office announced Friday that Scott J. Douglass, 48, of 114 Martin St., Rehoboth, was indicted Thursday by a Bristol County grand jury on a single count of manslaughter.

Duclos, 9, died in August 2007, a day after falling into a concrete sand hopper at the Quality Concrete site, 254 Tripp St.

Police said Duclos and friends had been playing in the area of the hopper. Employees who went to remove the boys from the area learned Duclos had fallen into the machine removed a grate covering the hopper’s interior, finding the boy unresponsive. He was taken to St. Anne’s Hospital and was later transferred to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, where he died.

“Our investigation shows young Codey Duclos’ tragic death could have been averted were it not for the wanton and reckless conduct of Mr. Douglass, in his role as owner and proprietor of Quality Concrete, in failing to take any steps to install safeguards that would have protected his employees and the children that were known to play in the area.” District Attorney Sam Sutter said.

Attempts to reach Douglass Friday were unsuccessful. Messages left at his home and at Quality Concrete’s corporate office in Tiverton went unanswered.

Duclos’ death was the second in 10 years at the site. In 1997, 12-year-old Eric Martins died after jumping into a gravel bin to save a friend who had ridden his bike into the machinery. Not knowing the child was in there, a conveyor belt was turned on, drawing peastone into the 40-foot bin.

After Duclos’ death, the company was pressured to upgrade its security, and the company agreed to post more signs forbidding trespassing and added security cameras to monitor the sand hoppers. The company also planned to install red flashing lights when the hoppers were to be emptied and repair gates to limit outside access to the area.

City Councilor Pat Casey, who was among the city officials who met with the company after Duclos’ death, said Friday the indictment is an appropriate action.

“I feel bad about the whole situation, but I feel very strongly that when the child died a few years ago, safety measures should have gone into effect then so that it would not happen again,” Casey said. “I glad they’ve done the things they did, but they should have done it before the child died.”