Warning: This story may be disturbing to readers
A 26-year-old Michigan caregiver has been charged with numerous charges after authorities discovered disturbing footage of him allegedly abusing an elderly patient with dementia.
Dontia Shonra Arrington, 26, of Flint Township, was charged with abuse of a vulnerable person and torture with intent to inflict cruel or extreme physical and emotional suffering. She was also charged with assault with intent to cause injury to her abdomen.
The charges were announced April 18 at a press conference held by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. At a news conference, Sheriff Chris Swanson said the April 4 altercation, which was recorded, stemmed from a patient incident.
“You’ll see that the victim was in an accident, and you’ll see that the caregiver was rough with the victim,” he explained.
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Dontia Shonra Arrington, 26, of Flint Township, was charged with criminal abuse and torture of a vulnerable person after footage of the abuse was released. (Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, via Facebook)
Police said the video showed the suspect repeatedly hitting the victim with a soiled diaper. The 93-year-old woman raised her arms to protect herself, but her video shows her trying to fight back.
A caregiver was then filmed placing her right hand around the victim’s neck and attempting to suffocate her, police said.
“In a few minutes you will see the caregiver confronting the victim,” the sheriff said while narrating the video. In the video, the caregiver can be seen making punching gestures toward the victim, who then attempts to slap her in defense.
Ms Swanson said the video was “difficult to watch” due to the victim’s vulnerability and vulnerability. She said the 93-year-old woman has end-stage dementia and struggles with her cognitive problems every day.
The elderly patient had severe dementia and authorities said he “didn’t understand what was going on.” (Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, via Facebook)
“At this stage of dementia, it is not possible to carry on a conversation with the victim,” the sheriff explained. “This is severe dementia.”
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“She has no idea what’s going on. She can’t handle the things we process on a regular basis.”
Warning: The video below may be disturbing to readers
The victim’s daughter, Kathy, also spoke about the video at the press conference. She said she began noticing that her mother’s hands were “black” with bruises, and she said she believed her abuse began in December.
“I’ve always been my mom’s protector…I’m watching this and all I keep saying is, ‘Mom, I know, why are you doing this to my mom?'” she said.
In the disturbing footage, the suspect appears to be strangling an elderly patient. (Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, via Facebook)
“She’s a 93-year-old, 5-foot-tall, 130-pound woman who’s never been in a fight in her life… She’s scared. She’s just scared.”
Kathy called her mother a “wonderful mother” and said she raised herself and her two sisters as a single mother. When her mother began suffering from dementia, Kathy took care of her for nearly a year and eventually moved her into a nursing home.
The daughter added that her mother still has bruises but doesn’t seem to know what happened.
“She’s still traumatized by it. She’ll pick up her sleeve and say, ‘I don’t know what happened, but this is terrible.'” It’s okay, mom. , you don’t need to know,” she said.
The video reportedly shows a caregiver hitting a 93-year-old woman with a dirty diaper. (Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, via Facebook)
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Authorities are actively investigating this incident. The sheriff’s office believes multiple suspects may have been involved and there may be more victims. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at (810) 257-3426.
