Caregiver Allegedly Impregnated Disabled Patient

Resident of Florida facility gave birth in 2015
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 7, 2019 5:30 PM CST
Caregiver Allegedly Impregnated Disabled Patient
   (Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

A caregiver at a Florida facility for people with disabilities has been accused of impregnating a resident who gave birth in 2015, the AP reports. Authorities say 58-year-old Willie Shorter was arrested Wednesday on charges of lewd and lascivious battery on a disabled person. An arrest affidavit says Shorter helped care for adult clients at a facility in Rockledge. Staff members in 2015 discovered the female client was pregnant. Police say in the affidavit that the woman has the mental capacity of a small child. The baby was born a few months later and adopted by the woman's family.

Authorities say Shorter had previously denied having sexual contact with the woman and voluntarily submitted a DNA sample last year. Investigators say Shorter's sample came back a match with the child, prompting Wednesday's arrest. It's unclear whether he has an attorney who could comment. (A horrifyingly similar case is playing out in Phoenix.)

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