Man charged with assault of nursing home resident
A Weatherly man faces multiple charges after the indecent assault of a wheelchair-bound woman earlier this month at a nursing facility where he works.
Edward J. Roche, 59, of Aspen Lane, remains in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in Nesquehoning in lieu of $250,000 bail following his arraignment before District Judge Joseph Homanko on Wednesday.
Weatherly police charged Roche with committing an offense against a care-dependent person, three felony counts; engaging in a course of a conduct or acts that serve no legitimate purpose, three counts; indecent assault of person unconscious; communicate lewd, lascivious, threatening or obscene language, three counts; stalking, three counts; produce, present or direct obscene performance; unlawful restraint; indecent assault of person without consent, three counts; open lewdness and harassment, three counts.
Roche was also charged separately with indecent assault and harassment of a fellow co-worker at the same facility, Forest Hills Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, earlier this month. He was suspended following the incident pending an investigation, according to court papers.
The incident with a co-worker was reported Sept. 16, court papers said, and incidents with the resident were reported Sept. 22, when the woman came forward.
The resident told police that she had been dealing with this for three or four weeks, but didn’t say anything because she didn’t think anyone would believe her, arrest papers said.
The woman told police that Roche came into her room, opened her shirt and began touching her; and he also attempted to touch her other private parts.
Roche also exposed his genitals and masturbated in front of her in her room, followed her around the facility and harassed her; attempted to get her to meet him in closed areas of the building, court papers said.
Roche also pinned her wheelchair inside an elevator with a housekeeping cart and assaulted her, court papers said.
She also awoke in her bed to find Roche touching her, she told police.
In the other incident, Roche is accused of ushering a co-worker into a closet, closing and locking the door, and putting his arm around her and kissing her twice without her consent.
Roche told police that he kissed the woman and knew it was wrong. He said she never said he could kiss her, but she never said that he couldn’t kiss her, court papers said.
Roche told police that she told him to stop, they went back to work and he was later called into the administration office and suspended from his employment, pending the facility’s investigation, court papers said.