Local care home employees charged with abuse, leads to additional assault case

Local care home employees charged with abuse, leads to additional assault case

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Local care home employees charged with abuse, leads to additional assault case

Montecka White and Vera Lee-Taft have been charged with abusing residents inside a Baldwin Borough Care home, along Carmella Drive. The home is owned by Arc Human Services.

In a statement Arc CEO Ed Picchiarini writes:

"Arc Human Services has a zero tolerance policy for abuse of any kind. The allegations resulted in the termination of both employees. We made a report to the Baldwin Police Department immediately after becoming aware of the allegations and we are fully cooperating with the investigation.

"Background checks are a requirement of employment without exception:

"Additionally, employees receive ongoing training regarding the care of the individuals we serve as well as the abuse policy.

"I hope this information is helpful in your story and again, we appreciate the opportunity to respond."

According to the criminal complaint, two residents who require 24-hour supervision accused the women of abuse. White recorded the abuse on her cell phone, police said, which detectives seized.

White told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 that she was trying to protect the residents from abuse when she began recording.

"It's stupid now that I think about it, but at the time it just seemed right to, like, make a video and be like, kind of making them feel like I was a part of them, like, oh I'm going to do it too, so they could feel comfortable enough around me for me to start recording," White said.

Police said while investigating White's cell phone in that case, they discovered an 8:17 video showing White recording herself beating her daughter while screaming at her. Court papers say White's daughter was crying, pleading for her mother to stop and saying she was going to die or throw up, but police said White continued the beating, hitting the little girl 50 times.

White said she has learned from that beating that she claims happened years ago.

"She was being a kid following the wrong crowd of girls in some bra and panties that belonged to my sister," White said. "On Snapchat in some group chat with boys and she was a little hot in the (redacted) like every little girl get, but as a mom, I did pop her (redacted) this ain't what you supposed to be doing things like that and that's what they got."

Police said when they arrived to arrest White, she was working at a different care home, owned by Barber National Institute. Investigators said when they found White there, her purse was in a resident's room, with suspected heroin inside.

Statement from Mary Cuneo, Barber National Institute:

"Montecka White was briefly employed at the Barber National Institute, where she did not complete her introductory training period to be appointed to full-time status.

"All potential employees undergo a criminal background check and child abuse clearances. At the time of her hiring, White met these and all other regulatory requirements and no outstanding charges were indicated.

"The Barber National Institute is committed to providing the highest quality of services to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Neither our agency nor any of the clients we serve are involved in any legal action involving this former employee."

White and Lee-Taft face charges in connection with the care home abuse. White is also facing charges for aggravated assault on her daughter and drug possession.

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