BREAKING JOEL/ DESPERATE STEPS, DARK JOURNEY Academy's grip lingers as son, family transform; Ranch closes amid allegations, but some praise it

From: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Date: November 9, 2004| Author: MARK JOHNSON | Copyright information

Last of three parts

Academy's grip lingers as son, family transform

Ranch closes amid allegations, but some praise it

Eight months had passed since the night Cathy and Steven Petershack hired men with handcuffs to escort their troubled son to a harsh boarding school in Costa Rica. In all that time, they had heard his voice on the phone just once, for five minutes on Christmas Day.

His e-mails home to Milwaukee only added to the mystery of how he was doing. In some, ...