Lafayette County Supervisors approve scaled-down request for Stonewater

Published 9:04 am Monday, July 28, 2025

The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors approved a revised request from Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center to expand its services with a new initiative aimed at supporting patients and improving safety.

Stonewater, located on County Road 362, provides substance abuse and mental health treatment for adolescent and teenage boys. In April, the facility submitted an application to the Lafayette County Planning Commission seeking a conditional use permit to establish The Summit Program, an extended treatment initiative for young men who have completed the initial 60- to 90-day recovery program.

The proposed program would add eight new beds in a renovated building, allowing those who complete their initial treatment to receive continued clinical support while taking on mentorship roles to guide newer patients.

However, past incidents of patients leaving the facility without permission raised concerns among nearby residents and county officials. In response, Stonewater implemented several new safety measures in May, including ankle monitors for all new residents and the hiring of two full-time security staff to oversee surveillance and monitor tracking devices.

Despite these measures, the Planning Commission voted to deny the original request for the eight-bed expansion. Stonewater then appealed the decision to the Board of Supervisors on July 7, which also denied the request but suggested an alternative: approve four beds temporarily, with a re-evaluation in six months to assess the effectiveness of the security measures in preventing escape attempts.

At the time, Stonewater’s owner, Bryan Fikes, said he could not accept the four-bed option without his board’s approval. He also noted that the ankle monitors were expensive and might not be sustainable without full approval of the eight-bed expansion.

On July 21, Fikes returned to the Board of Supervisors to formally request approval for the four-bed compromise, stating that he had since obtained the necessary approval from Stonewater’s board of directors.

With a 3-2 vote, the supervisors approved the modified request, citing the combined use of ankle monitors, additional security personnel, and peer mentorship as promising strategies to reduce runaway incidents and enhance safety for both patients and the surrounding community. Supervisors Tim Gordon and Scott Allen were the dissenting votes.