MedicCook
11-10-2006, 09:51 AM
Police: Infirmary aide punched patient
ARGYLE -- A nursing assistant at Pleasant Valley Infirmary was arrested Thursday on charges he held a pillow over the face of an 85-year-old resident of the nursing home and punched him, an attack that was witnessed by another staff member at the infirmary, court records show.
Andrew B. Thompson, 47, of Lot 24, White Birch Estates, Moreau, was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony, and the misdemeanor of endangering the welfare of an elderly person, State Police said.
Police are investigating whether he may have had improper contact with other residents of the home, officials said.
The home is run by Washington County, and Thompson was suspended without pay Tuesday after county officials were made aware of the incident, said county attorney Roger Wickes.
Thompson is accused of attacking Fabian Vega, who has Alzheimer's Disease, at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, court records show. Another employee of the home apparently interrupted the attack, according to a criminal complaint filed by State Police Investigator Joseph Bearor.
"These actions were witnessed by a co-worker of defendant and were also verbally admitted to by defendant," the investigator wrote.
Nursing home administrators reported the attack to the state Department of Health as required by law, State Police Senior Investigator Thomas Aiken said.
Aiken said State Police were asked Wednesday by one of Vega's sons to investigate the allegations.
Lake George resident Richard Vega, who identified himself as one of the victim's sons, said he was contacted Tuesday afternoon about the matter and said the home's staff did not promptly inform him of what happened.
He said he was initially misled about the nature of the incident by the home's staff and was told "nothing happened to (his father) physically."
Vega said when he visited his father Wednesday he found bruises on his legs and sores on his buttocks.
"He flinched every time we went near him. He was a nervous wreck," Vega said.
Vega said he was present when the staff member who witnessed the incident gave a statement to State Police.
"She said, 'He's done this before to Mr. Vega; he did it to other people,'" Vega said. "He was smothering my father. He could have killed him."
Bearor said "there looks to be a pattern of harassment of some of the residents" by Thompson, but it didn't appear any additional charges would be filed Thursday.
Wickes said the nursing home staff handled the matter as they were legally obligated to.
"The staff witnessed something. They reported it. We reported it to the Department of Health as we are required to," he said.
Aiken said State Police believe the nursing home staff and county officials handled the matter properly.
Thompson has worked at Pleasant Valley for about three months. He worked at Fort Hudson Nursing Home in Fort Edward for about two years before he began working at the county-owned home.
A call to Fort Hudson's administrator was not returned Thursday afternoon.
Thompson was arraigned in Fort Edward Village Court and was sent to Washington County Jail for lack of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bail bond. He is due back in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
http://www.poststar.com/articles/2006/11/10/news/doc4553fb836be8e219609716.txt
ARGYLE -- A nursing assistant at Pleasant Valley Infirmary was arrested Thursday on charges he held a pillow over the face of an 85-year-old resident of the nursing home and punched him, an attack that was witnessed by another staff member at the infirmary, court records show.
Andrew B. Thompson, 47, of Lot 24, White Birch Estates, Moreau, was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony, and the misdemeanor of endangering the welfare of an elderly person, State Police said.
Police are investigating whether he may have had improper contact with other residents of the home, officials said.
The home is run by Washington County, and Thompson was suspended without pay Tuesday after county officials were made aware of the incident, said county attorney Roger Wickes.
Thompson is accused of attacking Fabian Vega, who has Alzheimer's Disease, at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, court records show. Another employee of the home apparently interrupted the attack, according to a criminal complaint filed by State Police Investigator Joseph Bearor.
"These actions were witnessed by a co-worker of defendant and were also verbally admitted to by defendant," the investigator wrote.
Nursing home administrators reported the attack to the state Department of Health as required by law, State Police Senior Investigator Thomas Aiken said.
Aiken said State Police were asked Wednesday by one of Vega's sons to investigate the allegations.
Lake George resident Richard Vega, who identified himself as one of the victim's sons, said he was contacted Tuesday afternoon about the matter and said the home's staff did not promptly inform him of what happened.
He said he was initially misled about the nature of the incident by the home's staff and was told "nothing happened to (his father) physically."
Vega said when he visited his father Wednesday he found bruises on his legs and sores on his buttocks.
"He flinched every time we went near him. He was a nervous wreck," Vega said.
Vega said he was present when the staff member who witnessed the incident gave a statement to State Police.
"She said, 'He's done this before to Mr. Vega; he did it to other people,'" Vega said. "He was smothering my father. He could have killed him."
Bearor said "there looks to be a pattern of harassment of some of the residents" by Thompson, but it didn't appear any additional charges would be filed Thursday.
Wickes said the nursing home staff handled the matter as they were legally obligated to.
"The staff witnessed something. They reported it. We reported it to the Department of Health as we are required to," he said.
Aiken said State Police believe the nursing home staff and county officials handled the matter properly.
Thompson has worked at Pleasant Valley for about three months. He worked at Fort Hudson Nursing Home in Fort Edward for about two years before he began working at the county-owned home.
A call to Fort Hudson's administrator was not returned Thursday afternoon.
Thompson was arraigned in Fort Edward Village Court and was sent to Washington County Jail for lack of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bail bond. He is due back in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
http://www.poststar.com/articles/2006/11/10/news/doc4553fb836be8e219609716.txt