Toughen penalties for sex abuse of elderly; Law should protect dependent adults
Thursday, May 18th, 2006.
Des Moines, IA – Last month, former nursing-home worker Lesley Polek of Grinnell was accused of fondling the breasts of elderly residents. Because there were no injuries to the victims as defined by law, police and prosecutors couldn’t charge Polek with dependent-adult abuse, which could be considered a felony and carry a prison term. And since Polek didn’t touch residents’ genitals, general sex-abuse law that criminalizes unwanted sexual contact didn’t apply either.
Polek was charged with four counts of simple assault, fined $100 and placed on the adult-abuse registry — a slap on the hand. That’s because Iowa law makes it difficult to prosecute and punish workers who abuse vulnerable adults who can’t care for themselves.
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