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Criminal charges could follow alleged abuse at a northern Minnesota senior home

Authorities say criminal charges expected soon for Chappy's Golden Shores. 


Connie Billmeier held a photo of her brother, Steven Nelson, 58, who had dementia and was confined to a wheelchair. State health investigators allege that Nelson died after he was brutally beaten by staff at an assisted-living facility in Hill City, Minn. Photo by Star Tribune.

Authorities said they are close to bringing criminal charges against staff at a northern Minnesota senior home where residents were allegedly beaten, sexually assaulted and denied vital medical care.


The assisted-living facility, Chappy’s Golden Shores in Hill City, had its state license revoked in February following a far-reaching investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health. Since last fall, the agency has released a dozen separate reports alleging serious harm, including physical and sexual abuse, of residents at the now-shuttered facility.


Taken together, the state investigative reports span hundreds of pages and paint a disturbing portrait of conditions at a remote facility that once housed nearly 40 vulnerable residents, including people with mental and physical disabilities. In one case, a man was beaten so severely that blood poured from his head and he later died of brain injuries, the state alleged. The cases are so alarming that senior advocates have repeatedly cited them as part of a broader push for tighter regulation of assisted-living facilities, which are now unlicensed in Minnesota.


The allegations have also attracted the attention of local law enforcement officials and prosecutors. On Wednesday, Aitkin County Sheriff Dan Guida said he knows of at least five criminal investigations — “all significant in scope” — that could lead to felony and gross misdemeanor charges. He said several search warrants have already been executed.


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By Chris Serres | Star Tribune | MAY 9, 2019 — 5:19AM

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