Ex-aide accused of stealing from patient
A former area nursing home nurse aide is accused of stealing a credit card from an elderly nursing home patient and then submitting a forged application for public benefits to Monroe County.
Certified nurse aide Latoya Harding, 28, of Grafton St. in Rochester, formerly employed at the Blossom South Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 1175 Monroe Ave., was arraigned Friday in Rochester City Court on several charges.
She is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, offering a false instrument for filing, both class E felonies, and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a class D felony, in connection with a theft incident at the nursing home earlier this year.
According to the New York Attorney General’s office, after Harding was fired from Blossom South in mid-August because of the theft allegation, she allegedly applied for unemployment benefits to the Monroe County Department of Human Services Temporary Assistance Program.
Harding allegedly submitted an application with a forged signature of a Blossom South employee and falsely claimed that she was laid off from Blossom South.
Harding is also accused of stealing a credit card from a 90-year-old patient suffering from dementia to pay her own cable, cell phone and utility bills.
She also allegedly purchased items from Wal-Mart and made several cash withdrawals.
The felony complaint alleges that between June and August, Harding stole a total of $2,434.57 from the resident.
Harding was released on her own recognizance pending a Nov. 17 court date.
