COLUMBUS, Ohio – Eight employees were indicted last month on accusations of patient abuse and evidence tampering at a state-run facility for adults with intellectual disabilities.
One man is accused of striking the face of a 19-year-old patient at Warrensville Developmental Center in Highland Hills, leaving him with marks the next day. A female employee allegedly dragged a patient into his room by his shirt.
Another woman allegedly pushed that same 19-year-old away when he tried to reach for an item she held. He became upset and another employee “aggressively restrained him.” And another male employee is accused of physically assaulting another victim during his shift.
All told, eight employees were charged Nov. 3 in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas with 17 counts of patient abuse, tampering with evidence, and falsification. Patient abuse is a fourth-degree felony in Ohio, punishable by between six and 18 months in prison. Evidence tampering is a third-degree felony, punishable by nine to 36 months.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol originally investigated an allegation into one worker at the facility, but a grand jury in 2019 declined to indict him. The state attorney general’s office later picked up the case, leading to a range of indictments alleging abuse that occurred between 2018 and 2020. It’s unclear how and why the investigation snowballed over time.
In a statement, Ohio Department of Disabilities spokeswoman Allie Dumski said the department prioritizes the health and safety of residents at its facilities and has a robust system in place to report and investigate allegations of abuse. Five of the workers have been terminated, and three more (including one accused of patient abuse) are on paid administrative leave.
“When allegations of abuse arise, DODD immediately places staff on leave while conducting an internal investigation,” she said. “DODD moves to separate with employees when serious allegations are substantiated and refers suspected criminal activity to law enforcement. Employees who are indicted on criminal counts must report to DODD for review.”
Warrensville is one of eight facilities operated by the department serving 630 adults around the state with intellectual disabilities. They provide a range of programmatic, medical, behavioral, and residential services.
The initial allegations
What follows are allegations derived from investigatory documents provided by the OSHP, and information from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office, which took up the case after investigation by the state attorney general’s office.
The investigation started after an alleged incident on Oct. 24, 2018. Terrance Shambley was providing one-on-one care to a 19-year-old man, according to documents, and the two didn’t know one another.
Video footage cited in the OSHP report only captures part of the interaction between the two but shows the victim’s feet “go airborne” before he’s pulled back into his room. The victim later exits the room, the report said, the left side of his face red.
Shambley initially told an OSHP investigator that nothing happened. He later said he remembered that the victim tried to run out of the room, so he grabbed his shirt, causing the man to fall.
Another patient at the facility who witnessed the incident struggled to communicate with the OSHP investigator. But when asked what happened, he made a hand gesture of two fists hitting one another.
The OSHP declined to interview other patients who may have witnessed the event, determining them not “functional” enough to provide evidence.
Prosecutors presented evidence to a grand jury in January 2019 on a potential charge of patient abuse and neglect. The grand jury declined to indict Shambley. State payroll records indicate he kept receiving paychecks through March 16, 2019.
After the renewed investigation, however, he faces charges of patient abuse and evidence tampering after additional evidence was submitted to a grand jury. An attorney for Shambley declined comment.
Further investigation
Based on the expanded investigation from the attorney general, the prosecutors alleged a broader range of patient abuse as well as lying to investigators about what happened.
About a month after the Shambley incident, two care workers engaged in a similar scuffle with the same 19-year-old patient. Monique Williams allegedly pushed him away from her when he tried to reach an item she held. The patient became upset, at which point Michael Webb, another care worker, “aggressively restrained” him, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office.
They’re both accused of patient abuse and evidence tampering. Payroll records indicate Williams is still employed at the facility. Webb’s last pay period ended Feb. 2, 2019.
An attorney for Williams did not respond to an inquiry. Court records indicate Webb has not yet retained counsel.
Two other employees are accused of abusing two other patients.
Michelle Starr allegedly dragged a patient by his shirt into his room during her shift on Nov. 18, 2018 and later “tackled” him in the hallway. She faces charges of patient abuse and tampering with evidence, and also of falsification, a misdemeanor.
Payroll records show her last pay period ended Feb. 6, 2019. Gary Levine, an attorney for Starr, said given the physical sizes of his client and the alleged victim that it’s a “physical impossibility” for the abuse to have occurred.
“It seems rather curious that this is alleged to have occurred four years ago,” he said. “Why are they bringing this now?”
Christopher Collier, another care worker, allegedly physically assaulted a 31-year-old female resident during his April 1, 2020, shift. He’s charged with patient abuse, tampering with evidence and falsification.
Payroll records indicate his last pay period ended July 4, 2020.
Three employees who witnessed the incident – Ryan Robinson, Tawanna Jordan, and Leyland Walker – are accused of tampering with evidence and falsification (not patient abuse) for allegedly falsifying statements to investigators.
Payroll records indicate Jordan and Robinson still work at the facility. Walker’s last pay period was in May 2022. An attorney for Jordan noted that she kept her job, and that she was neither present for nor a participant in the alleged abuse.
Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Read more of his work here.
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