Bradenton ALF employee charged with neglect. She left residents alone overnight, cops say
When Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at a Bradenton assisted living facility early on April 1 in response to a 911 call about a woman who was screaming, they found two residents on the ground and not a single staffer on site.
Two staffers were scheduled to work the overnight shift at The Cottages of Bradenton, but one was unable to come in because of a family emergency.
Caregiver Quonnisha Veronica Orr later told a detective she had told the two employees she was relieving that she refused to work alone and was leaving. Orr also said the other employees offered to call another caregiver to work the shift, and told her to let their supervisor know she was leaving.
But the two other employees told the detective that Orr claimed she would be fine working alone and never told anyone she was leaving, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Orr also never called her supervisor, cell phone records revealed.
Orr, 22, was arrested on May 13 on charges of elder neglect without causing great bodily harm. She was released later that day from the Manatee County jail on a $1,500 bond.
The Cottages of Bradenton, 5700 24th St. E., Bradenton, is an 85-bed licensed assisted living facility owned by a Cape Coral man.
When deputies arrived at The Cottages just after 2 a.m. on April 1, they found the woman heard screaming by the 911 caller laying on the floor. The resident had fallen out of bed and had been calling out for help. Deputies also found another man on the floor after he had fallen out of his chair.
Just before 6 a.m., Orr returned to the facility and was fired, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Orr had been a “medical technician” at the facility for four months, the affidavit said. She is not a licensed medical professional of any kind.
During a Nov. 23 visit, the Florida Agency for Healthcare Agency cited the facility for failing to ensure all staff with direct patient contact had required training, according to inspection records.
Earlier last year, the home faced additional scrutiny related to its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. After a May 18, 2020, visit, the facility was cited for failing to “safeguard residents’ well-being.” Inspectors found staff not wearing masks, not wearing them properly and not practicing other COVID-related protocols, such as social distancing.
A month later, the home was cited yet again when inspectors found staff were still not wearing masks or implementing COVID-19 safety protocols. As a result, an administrative complaint was filed against the facility, resulting in a $1,000 fine.
This was not the first time The Cottages had been fined since changing ownership in 2015. The state Agency for Health Care Administration fined the home $500 in 2016 for failing to run a criminal background check on a staffer.
