Former nurse charged with sexual abuse, nursing home fined

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A nursing home in southern Illinois where a nurse allegedly sexually assaulted an elderly resident last year during the pandemic has been fined more than $200,000 by a state regulatory agency, according to a published report.

According to the Belleville News-Democra t, the fine levied by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Richard P. Kuklinski, 61, was charged this week with felony aggravated criminal sexual assault of a victim who was 60 years old or older.

Kuklinski was working at New Athens Home for the Aged in New Athens when he allegedly sexually assaulted a male resident with a history of traumatic brain injury and anxiety on Dec. 16, 2020. According the the newspaper, he quit his job the next day.

As police investigated, the public health department conducted its own investigation and earlier this year cited the facility for putting residents' safety in 'œimmediate jeopardy,'ť in large part because the employee who witnessed the assault did not notify did not notify his supervisor until nearly a week later.

As of Saturday afternoon, Kuklinski remained in custody at the St. Clair County Jail, according to the jail's automated inmate information system.