A former nursing home nurse was arrested in connection to the death of an elderly resident.
Kathy Hess, a former employee of Woodland Hills Care Center, faces multiple charges including reckless homicide in the death of Dionne Scalf, 77, who was a patient at the facility.
An investigation was launched after an alleged witness reported the matter to the facility and to police. The witness told police that they had actually observed Hess abuse Scalf. An autopsy revealed that Scalf suffered a broken vertebra that resulted in her death.
Dearborn County Prosecutor Aaron Negaangard said, “It was determined that the mechanism of the injury was consistent with the description given by the eyewitness.”
Scalf was scheduled to be cremated but it had not yet occurred before the witness came forward. Hess was fired on Dec. 27 after the accusations surfaced. A subsequent investigation resulted in her arrest.
Among reckless homicide, she is facing charges of Battery Resulting in the Death of an Endangered Adult, and Neglend of a Dependent Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Dearborn Superior Court Judge Jonathon Cleary set bond in the amount of $50,000.
