Nursing Assistant Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Mentally Disabled Male Resident
A former certified nursing assistant has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a mentally disabled patient. Junious Boyd Batten admitted that he raped the 55-year-old man, who has the mental capacity of a child, on several occasions. According to the victim’s testimony, in March 2008, Batten told him to take of his clothes and lie face down on the floor of the bedroom before doing “something he was not supposed to be doing.”
Batten is facing a maximum lifetime prison sentence after pleading guilty to one count each of forcible sodomy, abuse, non-forcible sodomy, and neglect of an incapacitated adult. By pleading guilty in an Alford plea, he is admitting there is enough evidence to convict him while maintaining that he is innocent. As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors dropped three non-forcible sodomy charges and four forcible sodomy counts.
The former nursing home employee, who worked at the Cote de Neige Home for Adults between late 2006 and the middle of 2007, also admitted to sexually abusing a 24-year-old resident at the assisted living facility. The younger victim is the one who told a counselor about the sexual abuse.
In June 2008, the disabled man’s family filed a $3.5 million nursing home negligence lawsuit against Cote de Neige and its owner for exhibiting reckless disregard for residents when they hired Batten. Prior to and during his time at the home, Batten had been charged with 13 crimes. Although a number of them were dismissed, he was convicted on two assault and battery charges, public intoxication, and contempt of court.
In May 2009, a jury awarded the plaintiffs $750,000 in nursing home negligence damages. $500,000 was for compensatory damages and $250,000 was for punitive damages.
Nursing assistant admits raping disabled man at Newport News group home, Daily Press, May 19, 2010
Facility Hit With $750k Damages In Sexual Assault Case, Daily Press, June 4, 2009
Male nurse admits to raping disabled man in Newport News nursing home, Examiner.com, May 20, 2010
Related Web Resource:
Nursing Home Safety, Chicago Tribune
Sexual assault is a crime. If your loved one was molested or raped while staying at an assisted living facility, you need to find out whether you have grounds for filing a Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect case.
