Milwaukee nursing home employee charged with neglect of resident

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MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee nursing home employee has been charged with neglecting a resident. Jonathan Wallace, 57, is accused of intentionally neglecting a resident, likely causing serious bodily harm.

According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were called to St. Anne's, near 92nd Street and Capitol, on August 15 to report elder abuse.

When police arrived on scene, they spoke with the nursing director at St. Anne's. She told officers that on August 11, she received a report that a resident had been the victim of abuse by a caregiver. The caregiver was identified as Jonathan Wallace.

The nursing supervisor told police that the victim was a 78-year-old blind man. The victim told police that he fell after Wallace pushed him to the ground. After his fall, Wallace did not help him get back up and he was in pain, the victim claims.

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According to the complaint, police spoke with a witness who stated he was in his wife's room around 1 p.m. on August 11 when he heard screaming. The witness' wife lives down the hall from the victim. The witness claims he saw Wallace standing over the victim yelling, “I'm not gone, help you up, get up now.” The witness stated that when Wallace realized he was watching him, he attempted to lift the victim.

At around 2 p.m. that same day, the witness claims that Wallace pulled up next to him in the parking lot and yelled, “You better be careful lying there, because if you make me lose this, [expletive] “We are out of a job and we are going to have a problem,” the complaint states. Wallace then drove off.

During the investigation, police received a statement from a second witness. This witness described an incident between the victim and Wallace on August 11 at approximately 9 a.m. This witness claims he saw Wallace roughly grab the victim by the shirt as he impatiently waited for the victim to get up. The witness claims the victim told Wallace, “Don't hurt me,” while visibly shaking.

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The witness also stated that Wallace approached her in the kitchen afterwards and accused her of “setting people on him, trying to get a brother fired” and saying, “I saw the [expletive] Man on the ground,” the lawsuit states.

During a police interview, Wallace stated that he believed staff were targeting him and that they were “lying” to him about the treatment of residents.

Wallace is scheduled to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County Court on Wednesday, August 21.