As a result of an investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Medicaid Fraud Control Division and many other agencies, a Shelbyville man has been charged with the abuse and neglect of elderly patients.
An investigation by TBI special agents with the Medicaid Fraud Control Division has resulted in the arrest of a Shelbyville nurse, on charges of abuse and neglect of elderly adults.
NEWS RELEASE: https://t.co/mQqDkJmajC
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) November 15, 2022
Special agents with TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division joined Adult Protective Services (APS) and the Department of Health at APS’s request to investigate a complaint that residents at an assisted living facility in Bedford County were being abused and/or neglected, according to a press release by TBI.
During the investigation, agents developed enough information to identify Cody Prestwood, 34, as the individual allegedly responsible for the abuse and neglect of the residents. Prestwood allegedly failed on multiple occasions between December 2021 and August 2022 to document those incidents and to seek proper treatment for the individuals involved, according to the investigation cited by TBI.
Prestwood is a licensed practical nurse at the facility, TBI notes. He was arrested by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office on November 9 and booked into the Bedford County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Prestwood is charged with two counts of aggravated abuse of an elderly adult, two counts of neglect of an elderly adult, and one count of abuse of an elderly adult, according to TBI.
To report a suspected abuse of a vulnerable or elderly adult, APS asks individuals to please call 1-888-APS-TENN (1-888-277-8366) or report online at https://reportadultabuse.dhs.tn.gov/.
The APS program operates within the Tennessee Department of Human Services and operates a statewide hotline and reporting system for complaints about all types of elder abuse. APS programs “promote the safety, independence, and quality-of-life for vulnerable adults who are, or are in danger of, being abused, neglected by self or others, or financially exploited, and who are unable to protect themselves,” according to a fact sheet on the website of the National Center on Elder Abuse.
For more information on how to identify or report abuse of vulnerable adults in Tennessee, please visit https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/adults/adult-protective-services.html.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
