Nursing home worker sought for alleged abuse

 

A former employee who handled patients at Golden Hill Nursing Home allegedly tormented and abused dementia patients in her care.

Ashley Nicole Wilcox, 21, of 2087 Martin Road, is facing criminal charges in connection with the alleged offenses. She is wanted by police, and a warrant has been issued for her arrest.

New Castle police filed a criminal complaint in court Monday against Wilcox, alleging she was rough with patients who reportedly had severe dementia. In one instance, she reportedly had put a sock in one woman's mouth. An employee reported that incident had occurred on Feb. 29.

Staff members told police that Wilcox also placed her hand over the same woman's mouth and nose during the week of Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, and she yelled at the resident to shut up, the paperwork said. A staff member reported that she had to push Wilcox away from the woman to get her to stop, the court papers allege.

The staff members also related that Wilcox pinched a male patient's nipples because he grabbed her arm. During the same incident, Wilcox pulled the patient's shirt up around his neck and mouth and asked him, "can you breathe?" while telling the man to let go of her arm, the police report said. Staff members reported that Wilcox allegedly choked the man and covered his face with his shirt to a point where he could not breathe and was screaming at him, police reported from accounts of staff witnesses.

A staff member told police that Wilcox had been rough with one male patient while walking him down the hall to his room, and that she pushed the man into his bed when he grabbed her arm. The staff member reported that Wilcox twisted one of the man's fingers to get him to let go and that he was saying, "ow, let go," and she grabbed his wrists and pushed them into his chest, the police account states.

Another staff member described an incident around mid-January where Wilcox allegedly placed both hands over a woman's mouth and approached her from behind while the woman was sitting in a chair. Wilcox forced the woman's head back in the chair and her hands were tight over her mouth for about 30 seconds and Wilcox was laughing, the staff member reported, according to allegations in the court papers.

In yet another incident, a worker reported that Wilcox, around Feb. 6 or 7, removed the dentures of a woman with severe dementia, and the woman, who doesn't like her dentures removed, tried to bite Wilcox. The worker said that Wilcox took the woman's hand and shoved it into her mouth and as the woman was struggling with Wilcox, the court papers say.

Wilcox is facing four counts of stalking with intent to cause emotional distress and six counts each of simple assault and harassment.

Police were alerted March 10 about the incidents after three employees approached a supervisor about Wilcox abusing patients. They related the incidents to the supervisor on March 8, according to the police report. The police interviewed the supervisor and administrator Mark Nord about the matter and obtained written statements that had been gathered from the suspect and witnesses during the nursing home's internal investigation.

According to the police report, Wilcox initially was suspended from her job in March after the nursing home had initiated its own internal investigation, and Wilcox had given a written statement to the nursing home, denying all allegations.

Nord said Wednesday that Wilcox no longer works there. (Continue Reading)

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Nursing home worker sought for alleged abuse