Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com

Published - Thursday, March 22, 2007

Nursing home assault brings 60-day sentence

An employee of the Tomah Health Care Center will serve 60 days in jail for assaulting a resident of the nursing home.

Charity Finnigan, 26, pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a Nov. 8 incident in which she was accused of felony abuse of a patient, misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct.

Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Steven Abbott allowed Finnigan to enter a three-year diversion agreement on the felony count. The agreement will expunge the charge from her record if she stays out of trouble for the next three years.

Abbott also ordered Finnigan to undergo an anger management assessment.

Finnigan was charged with hitting the patient in the head with a hair pick. The victim, who has a diminished mental capacity, had several trauma marks on her scalp. A nurse who witnessed the incident said she saw Finnigan assault the woman while holding her arms down. The Tomah Police Department was summoned to the scene.

All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.