A former caretaker at a Plains Twp. nursing home was jailed without bail this week after police say he repeatedly slammed a frail and “severely cognitively impaired” 86-year-old dementia patient off a wall during a struggle earlier this month.
Javier Lee Otero Jr., 23, of Henryville, is facing charges including neglect of care of a dependent person stemming from the altercation that broke out at the River View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 1555 E. End Blvd. on the afternoon of May 5.
According to the complaint, Otero was employed via a temporary employment agency as a certified nursing assistant and was tasked along with another employee to give a shower to the victim, described as “small and frail” and suffering from severe dementia.
The victim, who was known to become aggressive due to his condition, began struggling while the employees tried to bathe him, according to the complaint.
Otero told investigators that the victim hit the second employee in the neck and then head-butted him, at which point Otero said he grabbed the man’s arms and “everything ended,” police said.
The other employee, however, said she never saw the patient strike Otero but that she did see Otero grab the patient and begin slamming him off a wall, according to the complaint.
“You hit me. You know you hit me,” the complaint quotes Otero as saying.
The other employee said she did not fear for her safety during the incident and that she thought Otero’s actions were excessive, police said.
“I heard his body smacking off the wall every time he slammed him,” police quoted the witness as saying. “That’s why I reported it.”
Facility staff told police that Otero was being fired immediately and that they planned to contact his temp agency and to report him to the state Department of Health.
Police charged Otero with neglect of care of a dependent person, simple assault and harassment.
Magisterial District Judge David A. Barilla arraigned him on the charges Tuesday evening and denied bail, citing a public safety concern.
Otero was being held at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility with a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 3.