The allegations against 30-year-old Jason Knox are sickening. The daughters of two victims say he was caught on video viciously elbowing Alzheimer's and dementia patients in their 70s and 80s.
Knox made a brief appearance in Davis County Court Wednesday and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors say the assaults occurred at the Chancellor Garden Assisted Living Facility on 1500 East in Clearfield over the last several weeks.
With a hidden camera in her father's room, one of the daughters captured Knox shoving her father into a wall and striking him with his elbow in a quote "very forceful manner." The booking statement claims Knox admitted to abusing a female patient in a similar manner.
"We do have cases of abuse," Debbie Booth of the Utah Adult Protective Services Department said. "They can go from somebody doing something that they don't mean to do to something criminal where this guy was definitely intending to be the perpetrator."
So what can you do to make sure that a prospective facility is safe for your loved one? Daniel Musto, Utah's Long Term Care Ombudsman, says his staff inspects nursing homes frequently and you're welcome to give his office a call at 801-538-4171.
"We can talk you to about the facility," Musto told News4Utah. "And identify what issues we've seen in the last six months to a year."
He says you can also check the facility's ratings on Medicare's website and if you suspect abuse or neglect call Adult Protective Services.
The Utah Long-Term Care Ombudsman's website is https://daas.utah.gov/long-term-care-ombudsman/.
"It takes our whole society to watch over them and make sure that these kinds of things don't happen," Booth said. "I want to stress that if people see something or have reason to believe they need to report."
The State Attorney General's office says that Knox is actually not a certified nursing assistant like he told the facility he was. His next court date is scheduled for October 30.
Utah's senior rights are listed at https://daas.utah.gov/seniors/navigating-your-rights/
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Nursing assistant charged with elder abuse
The predators are everywhere!
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