Colorado nursing home employees arrested for elder abuse
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KRDO) – Two Centennial nursing home employees have been arrested after a 92-year-old woman with severe dementia was discovered with unexplained broken bones, leading to an elder abuse investigation.
According to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office (ACSO), 33-year-old Patience Jackson, an employee of the Orchard Park Health Care Center, was arrested at her home on June 11. She's now facing charges of criminal negligence, crimes against an at-risk person, and complicity – all class 5 felonies.
Authorities said that on May 9, an investigator was called to Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree to look into allegations of elder abuse against a 92-year-old woman suffering from severe dementia.
The investigator was called after hospital employees noticed the woman, who had been transported to the hospital via ambulance from Orchard Park Health Care Center, had two separate broken bones in her lower leg.
Hospital employees told the investigator that the woman's injuries didn't seem to match up with the report given to them by Orchard Park, who said that the woman was "found sitting in her wheelchair, screaming for help in terrible pain." The nursing home also reported that no one had seen her fall, and that they did not know what had happened, ACSO said.
After a four-week investigation, investigators gathered evidence showing that two Orchard Park employees – Patience Jackson, a certified nursing assistant, and Zainab Namale, a licensed practical nurse – had provided false information about how the woman was injured and worked to hide the truth.
Investigators now believe the woman’s injuries occurred on May 8 and were the result of criminal negligence, a crime against an at-risk person, leading them to obtain arrest warrants for both employees.
ACSO said Jackson was booked into the Arapahoe County Detention Facility, where she's being held on a $2,500 bond. There is currently an active arrest warrant for Namale.
The sheriff's office said the case remains an active and ongoing investigation.
"If you ever encounter someone being abused, it is critical to take action," ACSO said in a press release Wednesday. "Please contact your local law enforcement or County Department of Adult Protective Services. Your prompt response can make a difference in ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable citizens."
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