Police say woman abandoned clients at Coralville care facility

An employee at a Coralville adult care facility has been charged with dependent adult abuse for leaving her clients unsupervised, police say.

Coralville Police said Kimberly Ann Quarles, 34, of Gryn Drive in Iowa City, worked for REM Iowa, a company that provides care to adults and children with intellectual disabilities and other challenges. Quarles should have been in the Holiday Road facility Saturday night, but police said she was not there when a supervisor showed up at 10:45 p.m., according to a criminal complaint.

According to police, Quarles was responsible for supervising eight adults at the facility, but admitted to leaving about 10:35 p.m. to return a car. The other REM employee had left at 10 p.m. and Quarles was the only employee on duty at that point, police said.

Quarles has been charged with dependent adult abuse, a simple misdemeanor, and could spend 30 days in jail if convicted.

Reach Stephen Gruber-Miller at 319-887-5407 or sgrubermil@press-citizen.com. Follow him at @sgrubermiller.