COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — Twelve employees from the Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center appeared before a district court judge on Monday morning, one week after their arrests in connection with the death of a nursing home patient. All twelve are currently out on unsecured bonds and each faces charges of falsifying patient records.
During the court proceedings, the defendants were asked whether they wished to hire their own attorneys or have the court appoint them one.
Each employee informed District Court Judge Curtis Hairston that they would hire their own lawyers.
At the request of the Colonial Heights Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Judge Hairston imposed three new stipulations for the defendants to maintain their bond status.
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Noelle Nochisaki explained that the stipulations include no contact between any of the defendants, an order barring them from stepping foot on the Colonial Heights Rehabilitation Center premises, and a prohibition on providing any medical care to the public.
These stipulations were not added during their initial court appearance before a magistrate last Wednesday.
In court, Nochisaki detailed the investigation that led to the arrests, stating that a 74-year-old woman at the facility was transferred to the hospital in October where medical staff discovered severe bed sores and noted that the patient had not been bathed regularly.
Prosecutors attribute these findings to negligent care from the facility's staff, mentioning that some employees continued to work even after their arrests.
“Some of them were working at other Facilities as well so that kinda covers the whole gambit of it," Nochisaki said.
Since the arrests, two Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center employees remain in custody without bond as the investigation by Colonial Heights Police continues.
Both police and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office are encouraging individuals with experiences at the facility to come forward.
"We are directing them to speak to Detective Morgan Davis with Colonial Heights Police Department,” Nochisaki said.
In related news, while the Commonwealth has not halted new admissions to the nursing home, it has been confirmed that the facility has voluntarily suspended accepting any new admissions.
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