EVERETT — A caregiver at an Everett assisted living facility has been charged with raping a resident who lives with dementia.
An employee noticed blood on the 81-year-old resident’s bedding early Sept. 7 at the care home in the 4200 block of Colby Avenue, according to charges filed last week in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Kelvin Njeru, of Lynnwood, had worked the night shift before the evidence was found, according to the charging papers.
Blood had also been discovered in the woman’s bed on two prior occasions, in June and August. Njeru, 30, was on duty those nights as well, court documents allege. There were no reports of similar issues before he started working there in January.
Njeru denied the allegation in a police interview. He reported he spent most of his shift in the TV room that September night. He said he noticed a male resident wandering around, according to court papers.
Police say the three male residents at the facility at the time were unlikely suspects given their own ailments.
The registered nursing assistant previously worked at care homes in Bothell and Federal Way, according to police. Detectives found he had been placed on leave while working at another facility because of alcohol issues. Njeru reportedly did not tell the Everett home he had worked there.
The resident did not remember anything. She was taken to a hospital for a sexual assault examination.
Another caregiver had assisted the resident to the bathroom the night before around 9:30 p.m. There were reportedly no concerns then.
The care home is secured with a locked courtyard, and the resident’s bedroom window showed no signs of forced entry, according to police.
Njeru and another male worker voluntarily gave DNA samples. The Oct. 1 lab report found “very strong support” that Njeru was the suspect, according to prosecutors.
He was charged with second-degree rape. Njeru was not in custody Monday. He posted $10,000 bail set when he was arrested earlier this month.
His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 4.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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