| For Immediate Release Case # 11WF0913 April 18, 2011 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
OCDA FILED CHARGES AGAINST MAN FOR ABUSING 45-YEAR-OLD FEMALE ROOMMATE WITH
DOWN SYNDROME
WESTMINSTER – The Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office filed charges against a man for abusing his 45-year-old roommate with Down Syndrome. Richard Vu Nguyen, 44, Garden Grove, is charged with one felony count of dependent adult abuse. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison. Nguyen is being held on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing April 21, 2011, at 8:30 a.m. in Department W-14, West Justice Center, Westminster.
In March 2011, Jane Doe’s family suspected she was being abused and set up a surveillance camera in her bedroom. The victim’s Down Syndrome results in a profound disability including an inability to verbally communicate, making her a vulnerable member of the community.
On one occasion between March 31, 2011, and April 9, 2011, Nguyen is accused of entering Jane Doe’s room, jumping onto her bed, and kicking her in the head and upper torso. He is accused of then fleeing the scene. The abuse was reported to the Garden Grove Police Department by Jane Doe’s relatives, who looked at the video from the surveillance camera.
Deputy District Attorney Barrie Pink of the Family Protection Unit is prosecuting this case.
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