A nurse accused of sexually assaulting a bedridden patient at Manor Care in Bethlehem is preparing for trial, as jury selection began Tuesday morning in the case.
The 46-year-old Robert Poindexter, of the first block of Congress Court in Quakertown, is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
He has been free on $25,000 unsecured bail.
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At Poindexter's preliminary hearing in May, a co-worker testified she witnessed the assault at Manor Care on the evening of May 31, 2013.
Certified nursing assistant Diane Wilson testified she noticed the 50-year-old female patient's call light was on, and Wilson went to check on her.
The room's door was closed, which was unusual, Wilson said. When Wilson entered the room, she said the patient's bed was fully reclined, the woman had been moved to the foot of the mattress and Poindexter was kneeling near her legs.
As she got closer to the bed, Wilson saw that the patient's gown was hiked up around her waist and Poindexter was sexually assaulting her, she testified in May.
Wilson testified that Poindexter saw her, but seemed unfazed by her presence. "He didn't even break a sweat."
The patient suffered an aneurysm and, at the time of the incident could not speak and had only limited movement of her head and hand, she said. The woman's call button was modified so it could be activated by subtle movements of her head and body, Wilson explained.
Poindexter was suspended from work immediately after the incident and no longer works at the 2020 Westgate Drive rehabilitation facility.
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.