Employee at Union County nursing home charged in sex assault on patient

An employee at a Lake Park nursing home has been charged in connection with a sexual assault on a patient in her 90s, Union County authorities said Wednesday.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to Lake Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Services on Faith Church Road at about 7 a.m. Wednesday in response to a reported sexual assault.

The administration had notified law enforcement that a worker witnessed a certified nursing assistant assault a patient at about 3:30 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said.

Douglas Steven Little, 60, of Monroe, was charged with second-degree forcible sex offense, sexual act by a private institution employee/custodian and a crime against nature. He is in Union County Jail in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Little had worked at the home for more than a dozen years, said Capt. David Linto.

The victim, who authorities said reportedly has dementia, was taken to a medical facility for treatment. The county Division of Social Services was notified of the incident and is involved in the investigation.

Elsewhere in the Charlotte region this week, police in Mooresville accused a certified nursing assistant of sexually assaulting a resident at Crown Colony Assisted Living, on Commercial Drive in Mooresville. Police charged Ernest McDonald Beatty Jr. with three counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree sex offense.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Employee at Union County nursing home charged in sex assault on patient."