A Queens nurse has been arrested on felony assault charges after allegedly repeatedly hitting and pushing a bedridden 80-year-old at a senior care facility and giving the woman a black eye, authorities said Thursday.
Marine Jeanty, 59, is charged with second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and violation of health laws. Jeanty, of Far Rockaway, turned herself in at a police precinct in Queens early Thursday.
Jeanty allegedly abused the 80-year-old woman while attempting to change her clothes and bed linens at the West Lawrence Care Center in Far Rockaway in August. The nurse allegedly told the woman to move, then pushed and hit her arm several times. The 80-year-old was allegedly pushed up against the side of the bed; she hit her head on the railing and got a black eye.
The woman had to go to the hospital after the attack. Jeanty is no longer employed at the facility.
Jeanty pleaded not guilty at her arraignment in Queens County Criminal Court. Information on her attorney wasn't immediately available.
"When New Yorkers place those who mean the most to them in a nursing home, they should have confidence that their loved ones are not in danger of severe physical abuse," Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. "My office will bring criminal charges against nurses who violate the trust of the residents in their care and their family members."
