A former resident of an Ohio skilled nursing facility pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison last week for raping a fellow resident.
Scott Cook, 48, was charged with rape and sexual battery after he assaulted an 85-year-old resident of Roselawn Gardens Nursing & Rehabilitation in Lexington Township, OH, in March of this year. The victim’s “ability to resist or consent was substantially impaired because of a mental or physical condition and/or because of advanced age,” according to court records.
The incident was witnessed by another resident, who notified Roselawn staff. McKnight’s request for comment from Roselawn was not returned by press time Friday.
This marks the third time Cook has been convicted as a sex offender, according to the Canton Repository, and the second time he has committed an assault in a long-term care facility.
Cook was convicted of attempted rape in 2010 after he sexually assaulted a 92-year-old resident of an assisted living community in Cleveland, OH. He received a 5-year sentence in that case.
Ohio law does not bar sex offenders from living at long-term care facilities, as long as the facility creates a plan to ensure other residents’ safety, and tells the residents and their families that a sex offender will be moving in. The Ohio Department of Health has not fined any facilities for failure to comply with the state’s law on sex offenders in long-term care facilities, the Repository reported.
