Four people have been charged by the New Mexico Department of Justice for mistreating residents at assisted living facilities.
The accused are Edwards D. Bonilla-Aguinada, Linda Romero, Lee Carrizales, and Salomon Sanchez. They face charges of abuse of a resident and could face up to six months in jail if found guilty.
Salomon Sanchez, who worked at a group home in Santa Fe, was caught on video aggressively grabbing a resident, pushing their face toward a table, and refusing help while making disrespectful comments, according to the New Mexico Department of Justice.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said these arrests show that the state will not tolerate mistreatment of vulnerable people.
Lee Carrizales, who worked at Pacifica Senior Living Facility, is charged with verbally abusing two residents. Videos of this abuse were shared on Facebook and reported to the Department of Justice by the New Mexico Department of Health.
Linda Romero is accused of repeatedly hitting a person with a developmental disability in public.
Edwards D. Bonilla-Aguinada, who worked at Morningstar of Rio Rancho Assisted Living Facility, is accused of forcefully changing an 89-year-old resident with Alzheimer’s after an accident, ignoring the resident’s discomfort.