Gulf Breeze nursing home employee accused of abusing elderly man

GULF BREEZE, Fla. (WEAR) — A certified nursing assistant in Gulf Breeze has been arrested.

27-year-old Kayla Oeth is facing felony charges after she was accused of abusing an elderly man.

KAYLA OETH. (SRCSO)

The alleged incident happened on August 10 at Bay Breeze Senior Living and Rehabilitation Center.

Sergeant Rich Aloy with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office confirmed a warrant was issued on September 16 - more than one month after the incident.

Oeth was arrested hours later.

"The allegation is that this individual put their hands on a senior citizen, to the point where there were some injuries," said Aloy.

According to a report from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, the victim's arms were bloodied and bruised from his wrists to his elbows.

The victim described Oeth as "violent and mean", and said he feared she would hurt him again, so he stayed in his wheelchair next to the nurses' station all night.

"It's zero tolerance for this kind of activity," said Aloy. "When you're dealing with an individual in an assisted living facility, they need help. They're looking to their caretakers for help."

Oeth claims the victim was in a "horrible mood" and his injuries were sustained as she was trying to help him into bed. She says he fought with her and spit in her face.

Another Bay Breeze employee was present at the time.

He told a deputy Oeth did not follow protocol. He says she failed to tell the victim what she was doing, causing him to become confused then "freak out", "flailing his arms".

Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille says it appears to be an isolated incident, but they do not take these cases lightly.

"One sanction that we would clearly seek is that that individual not be allowed to work in a health care facility in the future," said Marcille.

Marcille says they will be recommending the maximum sentence.

"The circumstances of this particular case, the maximum sentence is up to five years in state prison," said Marcille.

Justin Gibson, an administrator at Bay Breeze Senior Living and Rehabilitation Center, confirmed Oeth no longer works at the facility.

"We all have parents, we all have folks who we care for or may live with who are elderly and they look to us for assistance, and when something like this happens, it's very angering and it's also very sad," said Aloy.

Oeth is scheduled to appear in court on October 3.

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Gulf Breeze nursing home employee accused of abusing elderly man