Caregiver Pleads Guilty to Abusing Disabled Group Home Resident

Posted by Florida RealEstateRama

August 27, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 21, 2008 - (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Pensacola caregiver has pleaded guilty to one felony count of abusing a disabled adult. Kimberly Pleasant will be sentenced to one year of house arrest and 18 months of probation at the completion of that sentence. Pleasant, formerly employed by United Cerebral Palsy of Northwest Florida, was prosecuted by attorneys with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit under the authority of the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit.

Pleasant, 31, was arrested in December by investigators with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office after she was seen physically abusing the victim in a parking lot. An eyewitness confirmed that she saw Pleasant strike the victim, who suffers from cerebral palsy. The incident occurred while Pleasant was attempting to remove the victim from a van. Pleasant became irritated when the victim started moving and when the victim did not heed the instructions to stop, Pleasant slapped the woman and pushed her with enough power to rock the entire van backward. The eyewitness reported the incident to the authorities.

In addition to her house arrest and probation, Pleasant will be required to successfully complete anger management counseling, perform 100 hours of community service, and pay up to $1,700 in court costs, fines and fees. She will also be prohibited from working in any position offering direct care to the elderly or disabled. The sentence was handed down late Friday by Circuit Court Judge Nickolas P. Geeker.

Contact:
Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.