Three workers at an assisted-living facility in the United States have been arrested after allegedly egging on a fight between residents suffering from dementia.
Police said the three watched, filmed and encouraged a fight between two women, aged 70 and 73, at the Danby House facility in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
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Marilyn Latish McKey, 32, Tonacia Yvonne Tyson, 20, and Taneshia Deshawn Jordan, 26, were arrested on Friday (local time) after an investigation was launched by police in June, reports Fox News.
They were each charged with assaulting disabled persons. All three had also been fired from their jobs, and the assisted living facility where they worked banned by the North Carolina Department of Health from admitting new residents.
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, which cited court records, footage of the fight showed one woman continue to hit the other, even after she fell on the bed.
The fallen woman was then heard to yell "let go, help me, help me, let go" while staff continue to watch and do nothing.
One staff member can then be heard to yell "stop screaming [expletive]".
The fight then continued to escalate, with one of the residents choking the other. At that point, staff can be heard to say "punch her in the face". Another staff member then checks to see if someone is filming the fight, and asks for the footage to be sent to her.
While one of the residents continued to strangle the other, one of the staff members - who still did not intervene - said "you're making her turn red".
Staff finally yelled for their supervisor to come to the room and the fight was broken up, though the supervisor didn't ask about the fight and merely told the residents to "stop" and "go to bed", according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
The company that owns the facility said in a statement cited by the Winston-Salem Journal it had a "zero-tolerance policy" for the mistreatment of those in its care.
"Administrators have been working closely with the Winston-Salem Police Department throughout its investigation to ensure justice is served. Additional staff training and a more rigorous vetting process for all new and existing employees at Danby House has been implemented ."
Newshub.
