Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
SANTA BARBARA – Sheriffs have arrested a 35-year-old man in the alleged rape of a 36-year-old developmentally disabled woman. Christopher Coates was arrested last Wednesday and is being held on $100,000 bail.
According to new accounts, Coates was a caregiver at a residential care facility in Santa Barbara County (the name has not been released) in June when police received information from an employee, who told police that the victim had complained of being sexually assaulted. An investigation led to the arrest of Coates, who lives in Goleta, and who was no longer employed at the facility at the time of his arrest.
Under California law, the facility could be held responsible for the sexual assault upon the disable adult. California’s Elder Abuse Act applies equally to “dependent adults,” who are defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 64, and who reside in a custodial care facility.
Source: The Daily Sound
The abuse and neglect lawyers at Walton Law Firm LLP represent elder and dependent adults who have suffered abuse or neglect in the hospital, nursing home, or residential care setting. Call (866) 607-1325 for a free and confidential consultation.
