Convictions announced in vulnerable adult abuse cases in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard counties

Apr. 4—By Natalie Jones — najones@baltsun.com

PUBLISHED:April 4, 2024 at 4:17 p.m.| UPDATED:April 4, 2024 at 7:36 p.m.

Four people have been convicted for their participation in the abuse of vulnerable adults while serving as their caretakers in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced Thursday.

At a news conference in Annapolis, Brown highlighted the work of the Office of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit, which prosecuted the cases and pointed to continuing legislative efforts to protect vulnerable adults across the state.

"Where that dignity is violated, where the faith we place in those entrusted with the care and comfort of our most vulnerable is violated, we will be there to hold victimizers accountable," Brown said.

House Bill 723, sponsored by the Office of the Attorney General, asks the General Assembly to grant the office the power to enforce the provisions of the existing residents' bill of rights for those in long-term care and assisted living facilities. While the office investigates abuses that violate a resident's bill of rights, it does not have the ability to stop that conduct. The legislation would provide new tools to stop abuse and neglect in the state's nursing homes and assisted living facilities, Brown said. The bill passed the Senate on Thursday and is now headed to the governor's desk.

"We see harm, we see it now, we want to stop it now," he said.

In Anne Arundel County, videos of an employee bullying residents at an assisted living facility in Severna Park were posted on social media, garnering thousands of views before they were taken down. One video showed the employee taunting an 80-year-old resident. In a second, another 80-year-old woman was pushed to the ground.

Launna Dean Rambeau was one of those residents. Her daughter, Terri McCoy, spoke at Thursday's news conference, stressing the need for abusers to be held accountable for their actions.

Rambeau was one of the first Black women to work for a phone company in Norfolk, Virginia, as a technician, McCoy said. She was a compassionate woman who loved her family, a social butterfly. Rambeau loved to craft, garden and dance — "a beautiful human being," McCoy said.

When the signs of dementia started to show, McCoy and her family worked to find somewhere safe to take care of her, but despite their research, she was abused at the hands of her caretaker. It was the Office of the Attorney General that delivered the news to McCoy.

"After our mother was assaulted, bullied and abused by the employee at the facility, who laughed throughout the whole video, our mother changed, we could all see it," McCoy said. "She was on guard, it was like she lost trust in people. She was scared."

The employee, identified as 27-year-old Jnae Alston of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to two counts of vulnerable adult abuse. She was sentenced to 10 years, with all but six months suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation. During that time, Alston is prohibited from providing direct care for vulnerable adults and from working for health care providers that receive state or federal funds.

In Baltimore County, a 30-year-old woman with intellectual disabilities resisted being placed in her caretaker's car after being picked up from a day program in Halethorpe. Her caretaker, Donna Myers, pulled her out of the car by her hair, throwing her to the ground. Myers' daughter, Allysha Myers, sat on the woman, pinning her to the ground before forcing her back into the car and striking her with her fist.

Investigators interviewed witnesses in the parking lot, said Zak Shirley, the unit's director, and their stories were "remarkably consistent."

Donna Myers, 60, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to abuse of a vulnerable adult, receiving a suspended sentence, three years of supervised probation and an order barring her from participating in health care programs funded by the federal government. She was also ordered to participate in an anger management program. While not a caretaker, Allysha Myers, 36, was found guilty of second-degree assault, receiving a 10-year sentence with all but six months suspended.

A third case, in Howard County, involved a 21-year-old woman with autism, who was discovered to have bruising, scratches and missing clumps of hair. A video from the woman's apartment captured a portion of the assault, showing her caretaker dragging the woman to a room without a camera. Audio recordings, however, captured a string of expletives targeted at the woman.

"What's more telling, though, is that the victim didn't come out of her bedroom in her own house for the rest of the day until shifts changed," Shirley said. "She was afraid to come out of her bedroom in her own house."

Asia Williams, 26, of Baltimore, was found guilty in March of vulnerable adult abuse and second-degree assault following a bench trial in Howard County Circuit Court. She is set to be sentenced May 16.

Shirley urged the community to report concerns of abuse or neglect to the Office of the Attorney General.

"To anyone responsible for the care of vulnerable adults, hear this: we are watching, we are on social media, we are talking to members of the public, we are talking to other stakeholders," he said. "We know what you are doing and we will find you."

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