Defense granted time to review evidence in elder abuse case
Jan. 18—LEWISBURG — The defense attorney of a 19-year-old former resident aide accused of extensive elder abuse in Lewisburg needs more time to review the "voluminous" amount of discovery evidence involved in the case.
On Thursday, Union County Judge Michael Piecuch granted a continuance to defense attorney Graham C. Showalter, of Lewisburg, and his client Madison Laine Cox, of Pinchtown Road, Montgomery. Showalter said he only recently received the files from the commonwealth and needs time to go over them with Cox.
District Attorney Brian Kerstetter said he would not oppose the request.
The discovery is "voluminous," he said.
Cox and an unidentified then-17-year-old male resident assistant are accused of taking numerous nude and demeaning photographs and videos of 17 residents between December and April. They allegedly posed with patients in the shower or on the toilet, took pictures of patients who had defecated themselves or had fallen to the ground and took videos of themselves demeaning or harassing individuals, according to court documents filed by Buffalo Valley Regional Police.
They allegedly sent those records to each other, shared them on the phone app Snapchat, and showed them to classmates at a school, police said.
The victims range in age from 72 to 100 years old. The majority of people residing at Heritage Springs Memory Care, 327 Farley Circle, Lewisburg, are in various stages of Alzheimer's Disease or dementia, which limits or severely impedes their cognitive abilities, police said.
Family members, friends and supporters of the victims attended Thursday's hearing. They waited outside for Cox to leave where they had t-shirts and signs in support of the victims and shouted victim names at the teenager as she left the courthouse with her family and attorney.
Lynn Fiedler, the daughter of victim Alice Longenberger, said she was disappointed with Thursday's events. She said she anticipated closure, but the delays are difficult to handle.
"We will continue our journey to justice," she said. "We will continue to show up. When the criminal and civil cases are finished, we won't go about our merry way, otherwise, what is the point? As long as I have breath in my body, I will fight for change."
Fielder said she is working toward legislative change when it comes to elder abuse. She has been meeting with state lawmakers to introduce new laws that would put elder abusers on lists like child abusers are placed on lists.
Cox was charged by Buffalo Valley Regional Police Patrolman Gary V. Heckman with 17 misdemeanor counts of abuse of a care-dependent person. A new court date is not yet scheduled.
In November, the unidentified male, who turned 18 in August, was adjudicated on 17 of the 34 counts and his disposition was transferred to another county. Adjudication for a juvenile is the functional equivalent of being found guilty in an adult criminal procedure. A disposition hearing in juvenile court is akin to a sentencing hearing in adult court.
At least seven lawsuits, including one from Fiedler, have been filed since July from families of the victims. Attorneys are promising more will come in the new year.
