A certified nursing assistant [CNA] pleaded not guilty in Worcester Superior Court to charges he sexually assaulted two elderly nursing home residents at Knollwood Nursing Center at 87 Briarwood Circle in Worcester.
Charles Wachira, 40, of Lowell, faces two charges of Indecent Assault and Battery Upon an Elder and one count of Annoying and Accosting Persons.
Wachira also faces charges in Middlesex County where a grand jury indicted Wachira for Indecent Assault and Battery Upon an Elder, Attempted Indecent Assault and Battery, and Annoying and Accosting Persons. Those charges also relate to an alleged sexual assault of two elderly nursing home residents.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s office said Wachira’s arraignment in Middlesex County will be at a later date.
Healey’s office alleges that Wachira entered the room of an elderly female resident at Knollwood and began to was her in February 2020. The resident does not need assistance with washing. While Wachira was washing the victim, he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The incident related to the charges in Middlesex Country at Bear Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Wakefield allegedly took place in February 2021.
Healey’s office says Wachira worked through CNA placement agencies to receive assignments at nursing facilities and often worked the evening and overnight shifts.
- The judge in the case released Wachira on personal recognizance with several conditions.
- No work or volunteering as a CNA during the pendency of the case
- No work or volunteering in nursing homes, rest homes, or in the health care field
- No work or volunteering with anyone over 60 years of age
- No work or volunteering with disabled individuals
- Do not leave the state without permission from the court
Wachira is due back in Worcester Superior Court on Oct. 13 for a pre-trial conference.
