STARKE, Fla. — A 66-year-old woman working at a Clay County youth academy is being charged with fraud after deputies say she lied about being a licensed mental health counselor prior to one cadet’s suicide.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says Gwendolyn Boney-Harris served as Deputy Director at the Florida Youth Challenge Academy (FLYCA), located at Camp Blanding. According to its website, the community-based National Guard program leads, trains and mentors at-risk 16-18 year old high school dropouts so that they may become successful adults and complete their education.
On October 31, 2024, deputies responded to the academy regarding the reported suicide of a 16-year-old cadet. CCSO says Boney-Harris denied support services from the Transitional Trauma Team for the cadets who witnessed the incident, saying that she and the academy’s counseling department would handle their therapy.
The mother of the cadet told deputies that after a previous mental health hospitalization, Boney-Harris told her that the physician’s recommendation of after-discharge telehealth appointments for her daughter were unnecessary, and that she would perform the counseling sessions herself.
An investigation into Boney-Harris began in November, after detectives say they received a tip that Boney-Harris did not hold a valid license. A Florida Department of Health investigator confirmed to deputies that the suspect’s license as a mental health counselor intern expired in early 2022, and that she has never been licensed as a therapist.
Boney-Harris had worked in multiple roles at FLYCA over more than a decade, according to CCSO, including as platoon counselor and lead counselor.
On Tuesday night, authorities served an arrest warrant at Boney-Harris’s home in Green Cove Springs. She was taken into custody without incident and later released on her own recognizance.
We reached out to the communications department at the Florida Youth Challenge Academy for comment. We received the following statement from the Florida National Guard:
“The Florida National Guard is aware of the recent arrest of Gwendolyn Boney Harris, former Deputy Director of the Florida Youth Challenge Academy. Ms. Boney Harris completed the required vetting process through the Department of Juvenile Justice prior to beginning employment with FLYCA in March 2011, and resigned from her position as the Deputy Director in December 2024. The Florida National Guard will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and the State Attorney as needed as the criminal case proceeds.”
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