Man pleads guilty to sexually abusing 76-year-old patient with disabilities in Eaton

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A man accused of sexually abusing a woman in his care in her 70s with physical and intellectual disabilities pleaded guilty to charges Friday.

Brandon Velez, 24, of Eaton, pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition and patient abuse, according to Preble County Common Pleas Court records. A second gross sexual imposition charge was dismissed.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 31 and faces a maximum of 18 months per conviction, according to court documents.

Brandon Velez. Photo courtesy Miami Valley Jails.

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Eaton police responded in early March to a care facility on Eaton Avenue after an Empowering People Inc. worker found an opened contraceptive wrapper on the patient’s dresser. The worker had relieved Velez, who had worked alone at the residence for an hour, according to a police report.

The patient, who was 76 at the time and is blind, nonverbal and has intellectual disabilities, was taken to the hospital for an examination.

While speaking with investigators Velez said the contraceptive wrapper was his and he forgot to throw it away after it fell out of his pocket, according to the report.

Testing on evidence collected from trash at the residence reportedly determined DNA from Velez and the patient was on at least one item.

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