Nursing home employee was investigated two weeks before arrest
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Felicia Tramaine Williams
A nursing home employee who was arrested Wednesday for exploiting the elderly was investigated for two weeks before her termination, nursing home officials said.
Felicia Tramaine Williams, 30, of Edna, was arrested on warrants charging her with three counts of injury to the elderly or disabled by exploitation.
The charges are a third-degree felony and carry a total bond of $130,000.
Williams, who had been working at the facility as a certified nurse's aide for the last six months, was suspected of making "improper video recordings" of residents at the Port Lavaca Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, according to a Port Lavaca Police Department news release.
"Port Lavaca Nursing and Rehabilitation Center deeply regrets that the rights of some of its residents were violated by a former employee's inappropriate use of a cell phone video recorder," Paul Romano, the center's attorney, said in an e-mail.
The nursing home's management discovered the existence of the video through an internal investigation and contacted the Port Lavaca Police Department shortly afterward, Romano said.
Williams was arrested in Jackson County and transferred to Calhoun County.
Port Lavaca Police Chief John Stewart declined to elaborate on details of the recordings.
The Port Lavaca nursing facility is one of 24 facilities owned by Victoria-based Regency Nursing & Rehab Center.
Heber Lacerda, CEO of Regency Nursing & Rehab Center, said Williams and another woman, who was also involved in the recordings, were both terminated on Aug. 13.
However, he said the other woman was not arrested by law enforcement for lack of evidence.
Additionally, he said the company's policy prohibits employees from having cell phones while at work.
The nursing home's two-week investigation into Williams' recordings included doing extensive interviews with other employees, speaking with family members of those persons on the recordings and bringing in social coworkers to evaluate all the patients.
"We found none of our patients had any health issues from a physical or mental standpoint," said Lacerda. "I'm proud of how we conducted ourselves in this process."
By all accounts, Williams was described as a good employee.
Lacerda said her bosses had no previous issues with her on the job.
According to a spokesperson from the Texas Department of Aging & Disability Services, the agency that regulates the licensure of certified nurses aides, Williams received her certification on July 1, 2003.
The Department's records show that her certification is currently active and she has had no previous disciplinary actions on record.
Williams' criminal record, however, was not as spotless.
A search of Texas Department of Public Safety records showed Williams had a previous arrest in 2009 for misdemeanor theft of property between $50 and $500.
For her crime, she received one-year probation and a court fine.
Williams remains in custody.
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I hope she gets the maximum sentence. And maybe one day karma will come back to bite her
August 27, 2010 at 8:03 p.m.This is the same nursing home that lost a civil lawsuit due to abuse and wrongful death several years ago. Capitalism made a serious mistake in allowing some people to afford video phones.................
August 27, 2010 at 11:30 a.m.There is more to this story that cannot be released because of the nature of it and it does not really matter. The thing that needs to be remembered is that the rights of these residents were violated. Thank god they were not physically abuse. Let the courts and the State of Texas do their job to be sure this person never works with the elderly or young people ever again.
August 27, 2010 at 8:21 a.m.Could she possibly have been recording wrong doings on the part of her employer? This story is way too vauge.
August 27, 2010 at 6:48 a.m.Elaborate please on "improper" video recordings, as any video recording or picture taking by an employee on personal cameras is "improper" legally. Were the residents being harmed or humiliated or was she recording an event at the facility. Both would be wrong but one would be WAY more wrong than the other.
August 26, 2010 at 8:55 p.m.