At-home nurse kicked and sat on patient who couldn’t talk or walk, Florida cops say

A patient who can neither walk nor talk was defenseless during a series of beatings executed in secret by a home healthcare nurse, according to investigators in north Florida.

It was happening at a home in Palm Coast and came to light Feb. 8 when a family member overheard 68-year-old John Jenkins being “verbally aggressive towards the victim,” the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in an Feb. 26 news release.

“When she confronted Jenkins, he apologized,” the sheriff’s office reports.

“She had a ‘gut feeling’ and reviewed footage from an in-home camera. ... She observed Jenkins hitting and kicking the victim multiple times, leading her to confront Jenkins and ordering him to leave the residence.”

A review of additional recordings revealed “disturbing” evidence of more than two dozen instances of physical and verbal abuse in the previous week, officials said.

“In the videos, Jenkins could be seen sitting on the victim, throwing items at the victim, punching the victim, and shoving the victim’s head into the ground, among other instances of abuse,” officials said.

“The victim, due to their condition, was unable to report the abuse or defend themselves.”

An investigation was initiated by the Florida Department of Children and Families, and Jenkins was arrested Feb. 21 at his home in Daytona Beach and charged with four counts of abuse of a disabled adult, the sheriff’s office said. He was released on a $40,000 bond.

“This is a tragic and sickening case of abuse, where a vulnerable adult was taken advantage of by someone entrusted with their care,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in the release.

“We are grateful to the family member who had the foresight to place cameras inside the home, and then quickly reported the ongoing abuse of a disabled adult.”

Palm Coast is about a 61-mile drive south from Jacksonville.