A mentally retarded man living at the Goodwill Rehabilitation Center died yesterday, an hour after scuffling with four staff members.

The cause of death was uncertain. The case was referred to the Franklin County coroner, said Columbus police, who are investigating.

Robert Ware, 45, of Gallipolis, Ohio, became upset about 12:15 p.m. at the center, 1331 Edgehill Rd., detective Robert Locke said.

Four staff members restrained Ware by the arms until he appeared to calm down, Locke said. When they determined he was not breathing, the staff members performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and summoned Columbus paramedics.

Ware was pronounced dead at Ohio State University Hospitals at 1:27 p.m.

The center, on the Northwest Side, includes a residential center for training mentally retarded and developmentally disabled people in how to live in group homes, said Executive Director James Puleo. Treatment lasts one to three years.

The center has 23 residents. Ware had been there a couple of months, Puleo said.

Ware was in the center on a trial basis, said Miguel Salas, case manager for Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, which handled Ware’s case.

“We’re still looking into the matter,” said Salas. “When we have these kinds of situations, it’s very difficult to say how the incident occurred.”

He said other details about Ware were confidential.

Source:  Columbus Dispatch, The (OH) – Monday, July 31, 1989