Nursing Home Patient Care Worker Skips Court Sentencing
Henrietta Sprual, a care worker at Arden Court nursing home in Pennsylvania, failed to appear in Court on January 7, 2009 for sentencing for a brutal assault on an elderly nursing home resident. Spraul struck an 87 year-old Alzheimer's patient with a belt six to eight times in December 2007. The bruises were so clear that the imprint of the belt buckle was visible. Spraul admitted that she intentionally beat the resident.
When Spraul ended her shift on December 8, 2007, she advised her supervisor that she found scratches on the man's hands and face at the beginning of her shift and wrote a report listing her observations. When two other care workers began their shifts, the found multiple bruises on the man on his arm, elbow, shoulder, knee, and thigh. They reported the bruising to their supervisor and advised that it appeared as if a belt buckled caused the bruising.
When Spraul returned to work the next night, she was questioned again about her observations and she alleged that she only noticed scratches. When a third interview was conducted using photographs of the injuries and the belt that was believed to have been used, Spraul claimed the resident found the belt at the nurse's station and began swinging it and "was out of control". She alleged that he was swinging the belt around and striking himself with it. A forensic pathologist found that the injuries were not self-inflicted and apparent force was used to inflict them.
She had pled guilty in October 2008 to simple assault, reckless endangerment, possession of an instrument of crime, and false statements.
