Oklahoma Nursing Home CNA Charged With Caretaker Abuse
Franklin D. Hughes, a former CNA at Bartlesville Care Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has been charged with two counts of caretaker abuse and his bond has been set at $200,000.
Reportedly, the first incident of alleged mistreatment occurred between July 1 and August 8, 2008, when Hughes allegedly mistreated a 76 year old dementia resident. The victim's wife was visiting the man on August 8, 2008, when she learned of the abuse unexpectedly. Hughes was walking by the resident's room and the man told his wife that he hated Hughes. When asked why, the man told his wife that Hughes had been "hunching and kissing on him". According to an affidavit, the facility's Assistant Director of Nursing, Ronna Heatherly, was told that on August 8, 2008, Hughes had taken the man into the bathroom and while cleaning him, he began "hunching" him and "kissing him on the cheek and around his mouth".
On October 1, 2009, Hughes reportedly attempted to perform sex acts on an 83 year old resident suffering from dementia. The resident told both Ronna Heatherly and his pastor that Hughes asked if he could "get in bed with him, if he could kiss him" and "tried to have sex with me".
When questioned about the allegations, Hughes reportedly denied any inappropriate behavior, yet mentioned that a similar allegation against him had been made at the Nowata Nursing Center. Police contacted the Director of the Nowata Nursing Center, Dorothy Scott, who provided the police with a letter addressed to Hughes from the Oklahoma State Department of Health concerning a complaint a former resident, who also suffered from dementia, had made accusing Hughes of "touching" him. A second complaint at the same facility was made against Hughes on February 12, 2009, by a male resident who told facility staff that Hughes had "offered or asked to have sex with him" twice.
On November 5, 2009, Hughes admitted to inappropriate actions with two residents at Bartlesville Care Center and with the two residents at Nowata Nursing Center. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 20, 2009.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home sexual abuse. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
