Ulster County Nursing Home Aide Arrested For Sexual Attack On Patient

Attorney General Spitzer today announced the arrest of a certified nurse's aide for sexually fondling an elderly mentally retarded patient at a Kingston nursing home.

Mary Bowe, 49, of Lucas Avenue in Kingston, will be arraigned later today in Kingston City Court on one count each of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree and Wilful Violation of Health Laws. If convicted, she faces up to one year in jail.

On the night of January 8, 1999, Bowe, while working at the Hutton Nursing Home, subjected an 84-year-old man to inappropriate physical contact by sexually fondling his genitals without his consent.

Spitzer said, "The defendant was entrusted with the care of our most vulnerable citizens. It is obvious, based on her actions, that she should never again work with patients in a health care setting."

Bowe was employed at the Hutton Nursing Home from September 1998 to January 1999. The facility is located at 346 Washington Avenue.

Spitzer thanked the State Health Department for referring the matter. He also thanked the Office of Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams and Hutton Nursing Home for their cooperation during the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Alan Bly, of the Pearl River Regional Office of Attorney General Spitzer's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. All cases are handled under the direct supervision of Deputy Attorney General Jos? Maldonado.

The charges against Bowe are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.