Sunnyvale nursing home employees charged with elder abuse
By Alia Wilson, Sunnyvale Sun
03/10/2011
Three Sunnyvale nursing home workers were arrested by state agents March 2 on suspicion of elder abuse after officials reported that one worker allegedly grabbed the genitalia of an Idylwood Care Center resident and two others did not report the abuse to authorities.
Arnold Samson, 27, of San Jose has been charged with multiple acts of elder abuse and battery, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. Ryan Tan, 22, of San Jose and Ricardo Martinez, 50, of Saratoga are charged with having knowledge of the abuse and not reporting it to authorities as required by law.
Samson, Tan and Martinez were arrested at their homes Samson was held on $25,000 bail and Tan and Martinez on $5,000 bail in Santa Clara County Jail. All three were released on bail on March 3.
Staff from the Sunnyvale nursing home facility could not be reached for comment.
In late January, agents from the state Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse received an allegation of sexual misconduct from the Department of Public Health's Licensing and Certification Division. A staff member reported that one of the Idylwood residents was complaining to him about being grabbed in the "private area" over several days by one of the certified nursing assistants, according to a news release from the attorney general's office.
As the employee was in the process of questioning the resident, he said he saw Samson grab the resident's genitalia and make a crude
comment. The employee reported the abuse immediately and Samson was suspended.
The news release also stated several staff members whom agents interviewed said Samson had grabbed and pulled on the testicles of the same resident and made crude comments on other occasions as well as threatened to touch the resident's private parts in attempt to "torment him."
In an interview with agents, Tan allegedly admitted that he had seen Samson threaten the resident several times. Tan also allegedly told agents that he watched Samson grab the man's private parts while the resident was sleeping "in order to get a rise out of him."
"The failure to report the abuse is just as offensive and reprehensible as the abuse itself," Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a statement. "As a mandated reporter, caregivers are bound by law to report anyone they see commit abuse or are told an abuse has occurred. We want to send a clear message to facility caregivers around the state that if you fail to report abuse, we will come after you."
The district attorney's office asks residents with information about potential abuse at the Idylwood Care Center to contact special agent Kristin Mansfield of the Department of Justice at 925.520.6408.
To report cases of elder abuse, call the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse hotline toll-free at 800.722.0432 or visit ag.ca.gov/bmfea/reporting.phpSOURCE: The Mercury News
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