GREENWOOD, Ind. (WTHR) — There are new developments in the investigation into a Greenwood company that cares for disabled adults.
The court just unsealed criminal cases against five people, including the CEO of Safe Journey LLC.
Late Tuesday, the Marion County prosecutor released the names of five people charged in the allegations.
In a media advisory, the prosecutor said the arrests stemmed from an alleged assault that happened in July at the facility on Madison Ave. which were investigated by his office and adult protective services.
The release said Safe Journey CEO Amelia Hagedorn and employees Sharita Bell, Danielle Moore and Carmele Journey-Starks have been charged with Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury to a Disabled Person, and Criminal Confinement. Employee Sara Clancy has been charged with Failure to Report victimization.
Court documents said a disturbance had occurred between Hagedorn and the victim and that Hagedorn is believed to have retaliated while Bell, Moore and Journey-Starks "confined the victim to the ground."
A video recording of the alleged incident is said to show some members of Safe Journey staff "sitting on the victim while appearing to strike her multiple times in the head and face while other employees forcibly restrain the victim." Clancy is believed to have been present and witnessed the alleged incident but did not report it to law enforcement or state authorities.
Injuries to the victim included brusing to the shoulder, face, neck and chest.
"The people who live in these can be totally dependent on caregivers, they have no one to advocate for them, no legal guardians. No one who can step up and say I am going to make some changes, so they are in a bad spot. They can be in a bad spot and they have to rely on their caregivers,” said Jerry Kiefer of Johnson Co. adult protective services. "I have to believe it was done for very good reasons, for service reasons and you are right it does not happen very often and when it does it is significant."