Grand jury indicts caretaker in abuse of disabled man
A Nashville caretaker accused of beating a severely autistic man in an incident secretly captured on a cell phone video camera now faces felony abuse charges.
Nnanyelu Nnodu, 33, is accused of assaulting Prince Bradley, 24, in Bradley’s home last September. Bradley is severely autistic and intellectually disabled. Nnodu was his paid caretaker.
Nnodu was originally charged with a misdemeanor assault. Last month a Davidson County grand jury issued a two-count indictment against Nnodu adding felony abuse under the state’s Adult Protection Act to the assault charge. If found guilty, Nnodu could face a one- to six-year sentence.
Nnodu was one of Bradley’s around-the-clock caretakers. Bradley has been profoundly disabled since birth, cannot speak and occassionally has violent outbursts. He requires two people to care for him at all times.
On Sept. 23, a fellow caretaker, Jamar Wilson, captured a 15-second video on his cell phone that shows a man striking Bradley repeatedly. The first two blows land on the back of Bradley’s head as he cowers against the wall. The next two are slaps to Bradley’s face as he backs away. The video cuts away just as the man raises his arm for a fifth blow.
At the time of the incident, both Wilson and Nnodu worked for Support Solutions of the Mid-South, an agency that contracts with the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to provide care for people with intellectual disabilities, defined as an IQ of 70 or less.
Nnodu is the second caretaker from the agency to be indicted on abuse charges by a grand jury in June. In a separate incident, Tito Talibi, 26, was indicted on charges of abusing a 47-year-old Antioch woman in her care on April 17.
State officials have asked Support Solutions to submit a detailed plan outlining what steps it will take to “ameliorate the current issue,” discipline staff and prevent future harm, according to DIDD spokeswoman Cara Kumari.
Trial dates have not yet been set in either case.
Reach Anita Wadhwani at 615-259-8092 and on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani.