Charges: Duluth Care Provider Sexually Abused Vulnerable Adult Patient
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A former staff person at a Duluth group home has been accused of maltreatment after allegedly having a sexual relationship with a vulnerable adult in her care.
According to Minnesota Department of Human Services, the staff person was sexually involved with a man suffering from a traumatic brain injury for several months in 2015.
The man, who also suffered from depression and quadriparesis, lived at the group home from September 2010 to April 2015.
Prior to his departure from this group home, the man said he and the staff person had some sort of sexual contact about 10 times, possibly more.
A DHS complaint states, the man said he initiated the relationship by expressing his desire for a sexual relationship with the staff person. Following his comments, the two had coital and anal sex numerous times, as well as oral.
The man said that every time something occurred between them it was when the staff person was at work.
He stated that it was a consensual relationship and he was not pressured or coerced to be with her.
According to DHS, the relationship continued after he moved to a different home.
The complaint states that two staff members from his new home saw texting messages including pictures sent between the staff person and patient. The man said they also communicated on Facebook Messenger.
When officers questioned the staff person she denied having any sexual contact with the man.
She said that the patient was "pretty handsy" but that none of the other physical contact that he described occurred.
The complaint states that the staff person did admit to talking with the man over Facebook Messenger. She told them that he told her he wanted to be friends and "some inappropriate stuff." She maintained that she did not know why would tell her these things.
When confronted about the text messages, the staff person said she had destroyed the old phone and was using a new one but did allow officials to look into her records.
As a result of the investigation, the staff person was charged with maltreatment and was told she cannot provide direct care to patients any more.
