Adult-care home employee receives prison time for neglect of disabled man

From the Lebanon Daily News in Pennsylvania:

A former employee of a company that operated adult-care homes in Lebanon County was sentenced last week to county prison for neglecting one of the firm's clients.

President Judge John C. Tylwalk sentenced Bobbi Sue Cessna, 29, Drums, Luzerne County, to county prison for 11 ½ months to two years. He also ordered her to pay fines of $1,500 for neglect of care-dependent person, recklessly endangering another person and conspiracy. Cessna was sentenced to an additional three years probation and fined $300 for theft by deception. She had pleaded guilty Oct. 19.

Cessna had worked for Phoenix Services Inc. of Cleona. The company had a contract with Lebanon County Mental Health/Mental Retardation to provide community residential services, family-living services and adult day care to mentally disabled people. The county has since severed ties with the company.

Cessna was charged in connection with an incident in which a 50-year-old man who was living with her at a Myerstown home in a family-living setting was discovered lying unresponsive in the front yard on Sept. 17, 2006.

After being taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, the man, who was not identified by authorities, was found to be suffering from septic shock, acute renal failure, an abscess in the left leg, a urinary-tract infection, profound malnutrition and dehydration. The attending physician concluded the ailments were the result of neglect, according to court records.

Cessna admitted to county detectives that there were occasions when she did not provide medication or meals to the man, who is mentally retarded. She also told investigators there were periods lasting for days when she was not home and left the man's care to others.

In August, former Phoenix officials Devin P. McFerren of Sinking Spring and Joseph Aprile of Reading were placed in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for 12 months. The ARD program is for first-time offenders. McFerren was chief executive officer of Phoenix Services Inc. and Spectrum Community Services. Aprile worked as regional vice president of PSI, according to court records.