Nurse from Marlborough charged with assaulting elderly patient with dementia
WOBURN — A Marlborough man has been charged with assaulting an elderly dementia patient he helped care for while working as a nurse in 2021, authorities said.
Tonny Kiyaga, 47, pleaded not guilty Thursday at his Middlesex Superior Court arraignment to charges of assault and battery on an elderly or disabled person; witness intimidation; and threatening to commit a crime.
According to the state Attorney General's Office, Kiyaga was a licensed practical nurse at a Park Avenue Health Center in Arlington, which is a rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility. Park Avenue Health fully cooperated with the investigation, the AG's Office said.
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According to the AG's Office, the assault occurred on Aug. 29, 2021. Kiyaga is alleged to have assaulted an elderly dementia patient. When the patient cried out, another employee saw Kiyaga shove the patient and threaten the man.
Park Avenue Health fired Kiyaga after an internal investigation and his nursing license was suspended by the state. The case was then referred to the AG's Office, which filed the charges after its own investigation.
During the arraignment, Assistant Clerk Magistrate Daniel Flaherty ordered Kiyaga to stay away from and have no contact with the victim and his family; to stay away from and have no contact with witnesses; and to not provide services in a health care center while unsupervised.
Neither Kiyaga nor a representative for Park Avenue Health Center could be reached for comment on Friday.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Nurse from Marlborough charged with assaulting elderly patient
