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Fired Personal Care Home Employee Charged, Accused Of Assaulting Elderly Woman

BEAVER (KDKA) – A fired employee at a Beaver County personal care facility faces charges after allegedly punching an 83-year-old woman and assaulting her in a bathroom.

Investigators say it happened at Katera's Kove Personal Care Home in Big Beaver Borough during an overnight shift back in November. A supervisor observed the incident, according to the criminal complaint.

The victim was an 83-year-old resident who was housed in house number 6 of the facility.

The defendant, 37-year-old Juanita Ochieng, was an aide and certified nurse's assistant at the facility. Then, something happened in the bathroom, say state police.

"During the nighttime hours, there was a point where she was assisting her, took her into the bathroom, began to yell at her, called her a profanity, physically pushed her onto a toilet and struck her three or four times with a closed fist," said Trooper Dan Kesten, of Pennsylvania State Police.

As a result, according to the criminal complaint, the victim suffered marks and swelling on her face along with a bleeding wound on her left forearm.

There was no answer at the Beaver Falls address listed for Ochieng in the criminal complaint when KDKA went there on Friday afternoon.

Officials at the personal care home say Ochieng was fired immediately after the incident.

But police say cases like these should be a learning moment for all who have loved ones in dependent care facilities.

"So question them quite a bit. We also advise people to check the bodies of the elderly people for bruising, cuts, scrapes, anything else like that," said Trooper Kesten.

Along with the neglect of a care dependent person, Ochieng faces charges of simple assault and harassment.

Ochieng was arraigned this morning, according to court records, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in late January.

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