24-hour care facility employee arrested, accused of assaulting vulnerable resident

Composite image with background photo by Ofc Picture/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — An employee of a 24-hour care facility was arrested early Sunday morning after a resident called 911 to report an assault.

Officers responded to the Chrysalis Home on 240 South, a facility that provides 24-hour care for individuals with intellectual disabilities in St. George, shortly after 2:30 a.m. after one of the residents called 911 saying he “was bleeding all over the place,” the officer noted in the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.   

When officers arrived, they were met by Tylor Paul, 27, an employee of the facility, who told police that the man who called 911 “was just bleeding from his stool, as usual,” and said the resident had “a brain problem, and does this all of the time,” according to the report. 

Officers entered the facility to check on the man, who they found sitting on the rocks in the back yard of the facility and noticed a “large gash on his forehead” that was “bleeding horribly.”

On the back porch, officers found the resident’s wheelchair with one of the wheels bent. They also found a blood trail leading from the concrete patio to the rocks where they found the injured resident, as well as a pair of glasses that were located nearby that were allegedly knocked from the man’s head.

While speaking to officers, the resident continued to yell “he hit me,” pointing at Paul, as he did so. The man also told paramedics and police at the scene that the suspect “punched him in the face,” the officer wrote, and noted that the resident “was shaking” while speaking with authorities. 

Gold Cross paramedics told officers the resident needed stitches. After the man’s wound was bandaged, he was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center for treatment. 

At the hospital, officers learned that the resident needed 12 stitches to close the laceration to his head, and medical staff also told police the man sustained two fractures, one on each side of his nose, and that further tests were being performed to determine if there were any other injuries sustained during the incident.  

Tylor Kirt Paul, 27, of St. George, booking photo taken in Washington County, Utah, May 31, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

Paul allegedly told police that he pushed the resident when the man refused to leave the backyard and return to the house. During a subsequent interview, the officer stated, the employee said he took the resident’s cell phone when he found him outside talking on it, adding that as an employee of the facility, he was acting as the resident’s caregiver. 

Paul also told officers that he asked the resident to come back into the house multiple times, and the man refused. Then, when the employee started to approach, he told police the resident got out of his wheelchair clenching his hand, which is when Paul pushed the resident who fell onto the rocks where he was found minutes later by the officers.

The employee “got angry and defensive” with officers, explaining that he was allowed to “take force on any member if they get out of control,” the officer recounted from the interview, and told police that he was “trained to do this.” 

Paul also told officers that he wanted to determine how serious the injury was before calling police, and instead, he grabbed a rag to clean up the blood. 

While speaking with the employee, the officer noted signs of impairment, noting that Paul’s pupils were dilated, his reasoning was off, his demeanor was angry and defensive, while his body movements appeared relaxed. 

The officer also smelled the odor of marijuana in the residence but was unable to find the source of the smell. 

When authorities contacted Chrysalis, the company representative told police that Paul “is not trained to take force on members,” according to the report, which is when the employee was placed under arrest. 

While being transported to jail, Paul attempted to justify his actions during the incident, the officer noted. During a criminal background check, officers found a possession of marijuana conviction from 2016. When asked, the suspect allegedly admitted that he “uses pot, but nothing else.” 

The employee was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility facing one count of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated intentional abuse of a disabled or elder adult both second-degree felony offenses, as well as one misdemeanor count of intoxication. 

St. George News reached out to Marc Christensen, Chrysalis’s President and CEO, who said the company is “saddened and outraged by the incident,” adding in an emailed statement that any form of abuse or misconduct is not tolerated or condoned by the company.

“The safety of vulnerable individuals is our top priority,” the emailed statement said.

According to the statement, a background check is performed on all employees. Paul “was terminated immediately” and the company is working with authorities “to pursue justice in this matter,” Christensen wrote.

Paul remained in custody on $10,000 bail but has since been released after posting bond.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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