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Disturbing Abuse of Elderly Patient at Local Nursing Home

A nursing assistant is in jail after State Police say he put a pillow over an elderly man's face and repeatedly punched him.

47-year-old Andrew Thompson of Fort Edward, a certified nursing assistant, will not be working with the elderly anytime soon. He is in jail after State Police charged him with abusing 85-year-old Fabian Vega, an Alzheimer's patient.

"What the aid did was, he placed a pillow over my father's face and punched him in the face several times," says Richard Vega, Fabian's son. "Only a person that did this before would know to use a pillow...not to leave fist marks, (or) physical markings on a person."

State Police confirm the accusations of an angry son, who spoke with NEWS10's John Craig about the abuse his father endured at a Washington County Nursing Home.

"And he put a pillow over his head, over his face, and he punched him a few times with a closed fist through the pillow," says State Police PIO, Trooper Maureen Tuffey.

A former builder, furniture maker and veteran, Fabian Vega has been at Pleasant Valley Nursing Home in Argyle for five years - a Washington County run adult home with an Alzheimer's Unit.

Police say Monday night, Thompson got angry with the man and grabbed a pillow. An aide saw it, got a supervisor and that woman stopped it.

Thompson was sent home, suspended Tuesday and arrested Wednesday. Richard Vega said it took until Wednesday to find out what really happened.

"They were, in my own opinion, trying to hide something," Richard says.

The facility administrator calls it an, "isolated incident."

But Richard says of the administrator, "he is there to protect Pleasant Valley...he is not there to protect my father. Right now, my father, every time my brother and I go near him, he jumps. He's very frightened."

"This man took his frustration out on him, took it personal, and we believe there might have been a pattern of abuse towards this man for a few weeks," says Trooper Tuffey.

Richard Vega, who has hired an attorney, says an aide told him she had seen abuse in the past, but feared she would lose her job if she reported it.

Thompson is in the Washington County Jail. Bail is set at 50-thousand dollars cash or 100-thousand dollar bond.

He is due back in court on Wednesday.