The wife of an Ohio nursing home resident was charged with assault on Monday after she allegedly punched and kicked the facility’s executive director, according to local authorities.
June Westbrook, 61, was allegedly making a “commotion” in the dining room of Heritage Manor in Youngstown, OH, on Friday when the director approached to calm her down, according to the Youngstown Vindicator.
She then reportedly punched the director, listed on the facility’s website as Gary Weiss, two to three times, and kicked him in the knee, the Vindicator reported. Witnesses told police the incident left Weiss bleeding from the mouth.
Westbrook had made complaints about the treatment her husband was getting at the facility over the past two weeks, according to local authorities. A spokeswoman for Heritage Manor declined McKnight’s request for comment on Wednesday.
Prosecutors had originally asked for Westbrook’s bond to be set at $5,000. Her lawyer asked for a recognizance bond, which would have allowed her to be released without paying anything after promising to appear for all court proceedings. She had no criminal record and the incident was “entirely out of character” and due to the strain of admitting her husband to the facility, her lawyer said.
Municipal Court Judge Elizabeth Kobly said she denied a recognizance bond due to the violent nature of the incident and instead found a middle ground of $2,000 bond. The assault charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.
