Image via screengrab/WHEC
A housekeeper at a nursing home facility in upstate New York has been indicted for allegedly raping an 81-year-old resident with dementia.
Khadka Pradhan, 51, of Rochester, is accused of sexually assaulting the “elderly and mentally disabled” woman in her room at the Shore Winds facility in Rochester in September, according to a press release Thursday from New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
“The charges outlined in this case are as heinous and disturbing as they come,” James said in the press release. “Mr. Pradhan allegedly raped an elderly woman with dementia at the nursing home where she lived — grossly violating her, other residents, and her family, who trusted that she would be safe and cared for. The idea that one of our most vulnerable could be so severely abused and taken advantage of is a real shock to the conscience. But make no mistake: We will go after anyone who commits such horrific crimes and hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The alleged assault took place on Sept. 29, 2021, at around 6:30 a.m., according to the press release.
“As outlined in the indictment, Pradhan allegedly, through the use of forcible compulsion, sexually assaulted the elderly and mentally disabled victim in her room at the Shore Winds facility,” the press release says.
The alleged assault was apparently reported almost immediately after it occurred, as Rochester police filed felony charges that day. Pradhan was arraigned in Rochester on Sept. 30 and was released after posting $10,000 cash bail.
“The reason we have the investigation is because of the quick-witted action and response of an employee and employees of the home,” said Bill Gargan, a prosecutor with the Monroe County District Attorney’s office, at the time of Pradhan’s arrest, according to a report from local NBC affiliate WHEC.
The indictment charges Pradhan with first and second degree rape and committing a criminal sexual act. He is also faces a charge of “endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person,” according to the press release.
If convicted, Pradhan could face up to 25 years in state prison, the press release says.
He will be arraigned in Monroe County Superior Court at a later date.
A representative for Hurlbut Care Communities, the parent company of the Shore Winds facility, told Law&Crime that they are unable to comment at this time.
“We have been and will continue to fully cooperate with and support the authorities involved,” the representative said, referring Law&Crime to the statement it released at the time of Pradhan’s arrest.
The representative confirmed that Pradhan was immediately suspended without pay and barred from the facility.
“It’s self-evidently a disturbing set of allegations, one in which we look forward to doing the best job we can to bring justice to this victim and to anybody similarly situated so that there’s a recognition that this behavior is criminal for a reason,” Gargan, the prosecutor, said at the time of Pradhan’s first court appearance in October, according to WHEC.
At that hearing, Pradhan was ordered to turn over any documentation that would allow him to leave the U.S., WHEC reported. Pradhan said through an interpreter that he doesn’t have a passport, just a green card, the WHEC report said.
Read the indictment, below.
[Image via WHEC screengrab.]
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