GREENFIELD — A former employee of a local group home faces a felony charge amid allegations he let a resident sit in a bathroom alone more than two hours. The resident, who is wheelchair-bound, appeared to suffer a fall while she was in the bathroom, which resulting in a fractured hip, according to court documents.
Matyese Stith, 21, of Anderson, remained in the Hancock County Jail at press time on a $1,000 cash bond. He faces a Level 5 felony count of neglect of a dependent resulting in injury.
Stith was working for Developmental Services Alternatives, which operates several group homes for people with disabilities in Greenfield and surrounding areas, when the incident allegedly occurred in May.
Stith was the only caregiver on duty when, in the middle of the night, a resident appear to fall in the bathroom of her home, located on Gaslite Lane in Greenfield, according to court documents.
Security camera footage from inside one of the homes shows Stith sitting in a chair in a living room while, just down the hall, a resident struggled to get from her bedroom to the bathroom. Eventually, she was able to maneuver herself into the bathroom and closed the door just before 1 a.m., court documents state.
At 3:10 a.m., Stith walked to the bathroom and found the woman, the footage shows, according to court documents. He wheeled her out of the bathroom about eight minutes later, court documents state.
Caregivers at the group home are supposed to check on residents every 30 minutes, court documents state.
The woman complained of pain the next day. She was taken to Hancock Regional Hospital to be checked by doctors, who discovered she’d suffered a fracture to her hip as well as other injuries, court documents state.
Officials at Developmental Services Alternatives told police Stith didn’t report a fall to his colleagues who took over caring for the residents the next morning. When questioned by his supervisors he said he’d forgotten to pass the information along and told them the woman had fallen while trying to get out bed, court documents state.
He maintained that story throughout the investigation that followed, and he provided a written statement to investigators in which he described hearing the woman fall in her bedroom and helping her get back into her wheelchair, court documents state.
Stith was placed on leave and later fired from his position. The injured resident was transferred to a nursing home to receive treatment for her injury, according to police.
Stith was arrested this week and pleaded not guilty during a hearing Monday, records show.
The Level 5 felony count he faces carries a penalty of one to six years in prison.