Development Center Employee Charged with Abuse

Panama City, Florida. A Bay County woman was arrested this week and charged with elder abuse after she alledgely struck a nursing home patient who was under her care.

Doris L. Cuevas, a certified nursing assistant and former employee of the Panama City Development Center, alledgely struck a patient, once with a closed fist to the back of the neck and once with an opened hand to the side of his head.

According to the arrest affidavit, Cuevas was assisting another employee who was attempting to clean and dress a wound on the arm of the victim. The man, who has a reported history of "self injury behavior," attempted to bite Cuevas, the affidavit said.

Cuevas was reported to have become agitated and struck the victim twice.

The incident was reported and Cuevas was immediately fired from the Center.

Cuevas, 58, was booked into the Bay County Jail on one felony count of abuse of a disabled adult. The case will be prosecuted by the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit’s State Attorney’s Office.

ElderAbuseHelp.Org applauds this action, it's the right message to send to elder abusers everywhere, abuse an elder go to jail!