Police: Group home worker falsely claimed fire drill training
KINGSBURY — A supervisor at a state group home for the disabled has been charged with seven felonies for allegedly falsifying records to indicate that fire drills were done when they were not, police said.
Katherine R. Bover, 30, of Spring Brook Way, Kingsbury, was charged with six counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, and one count of offering a false instrument for filing, all felonies, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
She is accused of filing false reports indicating that mandatory fire drills were done at the state-run home at 56 Green Barn Road.
“Fire drills are utilized to establish a plan to evacuate residents and staff in the event of an evacuation. The fire drills evaluate each individual and take into account how each individual’s evacuation abilities are affected by temporary illnesses, injury or progression of their disabilities,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Sheriff’s Senior Investigator Kristen Hardy said the investigation began with information from a co-worker of Bover’s.
Bover was released pending prosecution in Kingsbury Town Court. Sheriff’s Investigator Greg Danio investigated the case, assisted by the state Justice Center.
Bover has worked for the state Office of People with Developmental Disabilities for nearly three years, and was paid $53,180 last year.
Her status with the agency was not immediately available Friday. OPWDD did not respond to an inquiry about her Friday afternoon.
The charges are each punishable by up to 4 years in state prison.
The felony arrest at a state group home in Washington County was the second in less than a month. A Granville woman who allegedly hit a disabled resident at a home where she worked in Fort Edward was arrested last month as well.