An Arizona caregiver faces charges after allegedly gagging a nonverbal man with cerebral palsy at a Phoenix group home. The incident occurred on March 19, according to authorities.
Mark Sampson, a certified caregiver, was arrested on June 24 and charged with vulnerable adult abuse under circumstances likely to produce death or serious physical injury.
Prosecutors said Sampson stuffed a washcloth in the victim's mouth and tied two socks around his head during the alleged assault. The victim, who has cerebral palsy and is non-ambulatory and nonverbal, was unable to remove the gag due to contractures in his arms and hands.
Staff discovered the man and took him to a hospital for treatment of abrasions around his mouth and ligature marks on his neck. Sampson appeared in court last week and denied the allegations, claiming they were an attempt to get him fired.
He is being held on a $25,000 secured bond.