Authorities apprehended licensed practical nurse Joan Wood Barnes, 53, in Georgia on Tuesday for allegedly slashing the feeding tubes of six nursing home patients in Philadelphia last week.
Barnes faces six charges of assault and six charges of reckless endangerment when she is returned to Philadelphia, authorities said. A licensed practical nurse, Barnes was completing one of her last shifts at city-owned Philadelphia Nursing Home when the feeding tubes of six patients were cut, according to officials.
After passing background checks through the company the nursing home used to hire her, former Toccoa, GA, resident Barnes worked at the facility, left and returned to work various occasions in May until a permanent worker filled her position.
Prosecutors have declined to name reasons for accusing Barnes in the incidents. Police say that although all six patients survived the incidents without serious injury, they have suffered cognitive impairments that render them unlikely to be able to identify the culprit.
