COLUMBUS, Wis. (WTAQ) - A former nursing home employee in Columbus is due in court Wednesday afternoon for allegedly abusing patients.
A 40-year-old Beaver Dam woman was arrested Tuesday at her home. She used to work at the Columbus Nursing and Rehab Center before administrators discovered her alleged behavior and called police.
According to authorities, the former nursing assistant pinched the noses of sleeping residents to try and cut off their oxygen. And she allegedly put a pillow over the face of a resident with severe dementia numerous times to try and quiet the person.
Police have asked Columbia County prosecutors to file 4 charges of suffocation, and 4 counts of reckless abuse. The affected patients were all 78 to 85 years old. And officials said they had high levels of need, and limited abilities to communicate.
