Caretaker raped a woman in vegetative state who gave birth. |
There was an arrest. A woman in a vegetative state gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The care facility contacted the police and told the law they weren't aware of the 29-year old woman being pregnant.
The Phoenix Police and Maricopa County boys announced that there was an arrest in the sexual assault of the victim.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of raping a quadriplegic woman. The suspect was taken into custody and now faces one charge of sexual assault and one count of vulnerable adult abuse.
DNA evidence determined he was the baby's father.
The suspect is a licensed practical nurse and directly responsible for caring for the victim at the Hacienda Healthcare Facility. The facility is on a Native American tribal land.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe confirmed that the victim is a part of the group. They took custody of the child and pledge full care for the child.
Police chief Jeri Williams was livid about the arrest of this man.
"From the minute we first became aware of the crime, we have virtually worked non stop seven days a week to resolve this case."
The care facility was shocked. The woman was only 112-pounds and no one knew she was pregnant.
The family said that the woman has severe brain damage, seizure disorder, and psycho-motor retardation. The victim could not speak. She only had only some ability to move her limbs, head and neck.
The family will likely sue the facility and the individual for this.
The state inspectors are planning on stripping the facility of his accreditation. The state investigators and Phoenix Police are looking to charge others for this.
Hacienda Healthcare's CEO William Timmons resigned in December after the care facility drafted new rules to protect patients. There will no longer be one caretaker in the facility. There will be two staffers in presence. There will be more checks on visitors.
Former workers blew the whistle. They said that Timmons was a heartless individual. A former worker at the facility said staff were told to not report problems. They said there was a climate of fear among colleagues.
Timmons would get the final sign off on every final report and recommendation as he was the direct supervisor and staff feared him.
The state regulators will likely remove developmentally disabled patients from the long-term care facility. This was years in the making.
The facility might be closed because of this. |
Thanh Nguyen was placed in the freezer. He was revealed as one of the doctors who failed to check the victim's health. Also Philip Gear was placed in the freezer (likely the one who resigned).
Gear was responsible for checking if the victim was experiencing signs of pregnancy or discomfort.
Two physicians resigned. One was placed in the freezer.
The care facility released a statement during the controversy.
"Once again, we offer an apology and send our deepest sympathy to the client and her family. Hacienda intends to do everything possible to restore its credibility in the eyes of our patients, family, the community and our agency partners at every level.
The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.