Nursing home employee sexually assaults 86-year-old resident in her room, SC cops say

A nursing home employee sexually assaulted an 86-year-old resident multiple times, according to South Carolina police.

Police got an anonymous report on Oct. 28 of a sexual assault that occurred in July at Patewood Post-Acute, a nursing home facility in Greenville, according to an arrest warrant from the Greenville Police Department.

The person told police that they feared the administration would retaliate against anyone who tried to report it, according to an incident report.

An 86-year-old resident told investigators that an employee, who police identified as James Thomas Woodward, had sexually assaulted her between May and July, according to the report. She said he inappropriately touched and kissed her multiple times, the report says.

A message left at Patewood Post-Acute by McClatchy News was not returned.

A police report dated Feb. 21 identifies Woodward as a former employee. Police said in an email to McClatchy News that he was employed at the nursing home during the time of the incidents.

Woodward, 76, was charged on Feb. 23 with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to Greenville County Jail records.

Information for an attorney who could comment on his behalf was not listed.

He is being held on a $10,000 cash bond, jail records show.

Greenville is about 100 miles northwest of Columbia.

This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Nursing home employee sexually assaults 86-year-old resident in her room, SC cops say."