(Sept. 14, 2017) Based on a request from legal counsel, Richard Stephens Jr., 46, of Pocomoke, will undergo a competency evaluation before possibly facing charges of sexual assault at Hartley Hall Nursing Home in Pocomoke this spring.
Circuit Court Judge Thomas Groton III accepted the request for a competency evaluation from Stephens’ lawyer, Salisbury attorney David Moore during a motion hearing last Wednesday.
Moore told the court despite his best efforts to explain the gravity of the charges, which include second-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual contact, Stephens doesn’t appear to comprehend the legal ramifications.
“I’ve done my best to explain what we’re doing here this morning,” he said. “He will be seen by a couple of doctors.”
According to the statement of charges, on May 9, Stephens, then a patient at Hartley Hall, received nursing assistance to shower and get dressed.
The charging documents state that after the shower was completed, the nurse bent over to pull Stephens’ adult diaper and shorts up, at which point he allegedly grabbed the back of her hair and pushed her head against his pelvic area.
The document goes on to state that Stephens yelled and tried to force the nurse to perform a sex act, at which point she screamed, eliciting other staff members to respond. When confronted, Stephens allegedly followed directives and was returned to his room.
Stephens was admitted to Hartley Hall on Jan. 20 after suffering a stroke and a brain bleed the previous November.
A jury trial is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 3, dependent upon the competency evaluation results. Stephens is currently living at a group home in Western Maryland.
Circuit Court Judge Thomas Groton III accepted the request for a competency evaluation from Stephens’ lawyer, Salisbury attorney David Moore during a motion hearing last Wednesday.
Moore told the court despite his best efforts to explain the gravity of the charges, which include second-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual contact, Stephens doesn’t appear to comprehend the legal ramifications.
“I’ve done my best to explain what we’re doing here this morning,” he said. “He will be seen by a couple of doctors.”
According to the statement of charges, on May 9, Stephens, then a patient at Hartley Hall, received nursing assistance to shower and get dressed.
The charging documents state that after the shower was completed, the nurse bent over to pull Stephens’ adult diaper and shorts up, at which point he allegedly grabbed the back of her hair and pushed her head against his pelvic area.
The document goes on to state that Stephens yelled and tried to force the nurse to perform a sex act, at which point she screamed, eliciting other staff members to respond. When confronted, Stephens allegedly followed directives and was returned to his room.
Stephens was admitted to Hartley Hall on Jan. 20 after suffering a stroke and a brain bleed the previous November.
A jury trial is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 3, dependent upon the competency evaluation results. Stephens is currently living at a group home in Western Maryland.