SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — An Altamonte Springs chiropractor is accused of sexually battering an elderly woman with dementia at the nursing home where she lives.
Deputies said a nursing assistant found Kent Klonel, 58, naked from the waist down in the woman’s room at Atria Park of Lake Forest on Nov. 14.
The nursing assistant told deputies when she attempted to check on the woman, the door of the woman’s room had been barricaded shut with a chair.
According to an arrest warrant, the woman involved has dementia, is nonverbal, nonmobile and “is unable to perform any daily functions on her own.” Investigators said Klonel knew the woman.
Investigators said Klonel made inconsistent statements following the incident, including that he had barricaded the door because he was using the restroom and did not want anyone to walk in on him.
According to the warrant, detectives said they believe Klonel was in the process of sexually battering the woman when he was interrupted by the staff of the assisted living facility.
“Had the staff not been as proactive as they were this would have been even more traumatic for this victim who could not have been more vulnerable," said Bob Kealing with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. “So we commend the staff for not only taking the time to notice something wasn’t right but also to act on it.”
The warrant for Klonel’s arrest was issued Monday on charges of attempted sex assault or battery, and battery by touch or strike.
The nursing home’s executive director Rob Beckman released the following statement:
“The safety and being of our residents staff family members and other visitors are our top priorities at all times. Once staff became aware of an incident in a resident’s apartment local authorities were immediately contacted."
Beckman went on to say that the facility has reviewed security measures to ensure the safety of their residents.
Klonel made his first court appearance Tuesday. He was given a $35,000 bond and instructed not to return to the nursing home and to wear a GPS monitor.
Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for updates.
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