4 Florida caregivers charged with assaulting disabled patient

Four caregivers have been charged with assaulting a patient at a group home for disabled adults in Mount Dora, Fla., according to The Orlando Sentinel.

Police officers saw a female resident with a bruised face and scraped knee at a visit to the group home in August, according to a police news report from Aug. 22. Video surveillance footage from Attain Inc., the organization that runs the group home, revealed four caregivers had punched the woman and one had stood on the woman's head. Two staffers witnessed the assault but did nothing to stop it.

The four caregivers and two witnesses are no longer working at the group home, according to Melanie Etters, spokesperson for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, which has statutory oversight for group homes in Florida. 

APD "has a zero tolerance policy for any forms of abuse of individuals with disabilities," Ms. Etters said, adding that APD has performed wellness evaluations for each of the other group home residents to ensure they are safe and healthy.

Attain Inc. did not respond to Becker's request for comment.

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