CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — “Disturbing” video of a disabled woman being sexually assaulted has exposed a broader pattern of exploitation at a senior living facility, according to investigators in North Carolina.
Nine patients, all women, have been identified as victims at the Mocksville Senior Living in Mocksville, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office said in a February 5 news release. Mocksville is about a 60-mile drive north of Charlotte.
The investigation began in December and resulted in two people being arrested: Ronnie Mccoy, 40, and Cindy Rice, 41, the sheriff’s office said.
“Rice was an employee of the facility, in the memory care unit. During the investigation, other facility staff showed deputies a disturbing video that was sent to them in a group chat from Rice. The video showed (Rice) inappropriately touching a patient’s breast,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Rice’s cell phone was seized, and a search warrant was obtained for the phone. … Numerous images of female patients were located on the phone. These photographs showed female patients fully nude taking showers and female patients partially nude using the restroom.”
Text messages showed the photos and video were being shared with a man who “was asking for and directing types of photographs to be taken and sent to him,” the sheriff’s office said.
Rice has been charged with seven counts of misdemeanor secret peeping, six counts of felony secret peeping and three counts of second-degree forcible sexual offense, the sheriff’s office said.
Ronnie Mccoy is charged with “eight counts of accessory before the fact for his participation in these activities,” the sheriff’s office said.
Second-degree forcible sexual offense applies to instances “when a person engages in a sexual act on another person by force and against the will of the other person, or who has a mental disability or who is incapacitated or physically helpless, and the person performing the act knows or should reasonably know that the other person has a mental disability or is mentally incapacitated,” the sheriff’s office said.
By MARK PRICE/Miami Herald
