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Dorian Geiger

Mon, March 7, 2022, 6:54 PM

A former Ohio nursing assistant is facing several charges involving the alleged sexual abuse of elderly patients in her care, according to police.

Tiara Lynn Ford, 23, is accused of sexually abusing and filing patients at a nursing facility she worked at in Massillon, Ohio, about 25 miles south of Akron. She was arrested at her home last week.

Ford was indicted on a trio of charges, including rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition, according to court records obtained by Oxygen.com.

Ford’s arrest follows a two-week investigation led by local police into her alleged predatory conduct at The Inn at University Village, WEWS-TV reported.

"Shock, shock — that's about the best way to describe my reaction to this," Massillon Police Detective David McConnell told the outlet.

According to police, some of the victimized patients were non-verbal and suffered from dementia.

"Some of them couldn't even speak, McConnell added. “You know, they're elderly, [they] didn't know what was going on and she did it for her own personal gratification.”

In some cases, investigators said she recorded videos of the alleged sexual assaults.

“And she admitted to all these, admitted to taking these videos of herself," McConnell said.

Ford worked at The Inn at University City in Massillon, though it’s unclear how long she may have worked at the assisted living residence. The assisted living facility declined to comment on Ford’s open case on Monday, to verify the accused woman’s employment history or say whether she’s been terminated.

“No, no I’m not giving any information, I’m sorry,” Amy Joy, the executive director for The Inn at University City told Oxygen.com on Monday afternoon.

The facility, which specializes in care for patients living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, previously issued a prepared statement.

"The safety and well-being of our residents is our highest priority,” the statement said, according to WEWS-TV. “We have recently been notified that a former employee was involved in mistreating residents. We immediately notified the involved families, police department and other appropriate authorities. We are fully cooperating with the authorities in their investigation. Because of the ongoing investigation and HIPAA laws, we are unable to comment further at this time."

Ford had previously passed a background check, according to state officials.

Police, who said it’s possible there could be more victims, are encouraging families who may have loved ones at the facility to come forward.

"I don't believe there are, but we are going to make sure there are not," McConnell also stated.

Authorities haven’t released additional information. Keith Moser, Massillon’s Chief of Police, wasn’t immediately available when contacted by Oxygen.com this week.

Ford was arraigned on March 4 in Stark County Common Pleas Court, additional court filings show. A judge subsequently set her bond at $250,000. The Canton woman’s next court date is set for March 11. It’s unclear if she’s retained legal representation to comment on her behalf.

Anyone with additional information related to the case is urged to contact Massillon Police Department’s tip line at 330-830-1734.