Convicted sex offender in nursing home charged with sexually abusing fellow resident
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A 62-year-old man is accused of sexually abusing a fellow Buffalo nursing home resident.
Prosecutors say convicted sex offender Thomas Moore entered the victim’s room, removed her blanket and molested her in early January at the Waterfront Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare.
According to court documents, the victim told Moore to leave her room multiple times.
Moore is disabled, and appeared in Buffalo City Court Monday in a wheelchair.
State records show Moore was recently released from the Fishkill Correctional Facility, where he was serving time for Burglary in the Second Degree and Sexual Abuse in the First Degree.
Moore, who was not on parole at the time of this latest allegation, is a level three registered sex offender in New York State. His previous sex related convictions pertain to forcible sexual contact with someone who is physically helpless.
The Waterfront Center victim was also incapable of giving consent, prosecutors say.
Moore now faces charges of Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree and Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person.
His sex related offenses date back to 1996.
According to the New York State Department of Health:
Federal regulations are in place to protect nursing home residents from abuse. These regulations not only specify that these facilities may only admit residents they can appropriately care for, but they must also identify residents whose personal histories put them at risk for abusing other residents. Staff must work diligently to prevent such occurrences by monitoring behavior of these residents and regularly reviewing their internal strategies for the prevention of abuse.”
Staff at the Waterfront Center said in a statement the administrator was not initially made aware of the Moore’s history, something the DOCCS refutes. The facility would not answer any of our further questions regarding staff’s ability to care for individuals like Moore.
Moore completed his sentence and post release supervision under DOCCS custody in August 2016.
Because he required nursing home care, he remained at Fishkill until a nursing home in Buffalo accepted his application in November 2016.
When Moore’s application was submitted to this nursing home, DOCCS states it’s informed Waterfront of his sex offender status and the Registry notified Buffalo Police of his address in the city as required by law.
The alleged abuse happened in early January at the Waterfront Center. Moore had moved to the facility a little more than a month before the alleged incident occurred.
A spokesperson for the Waterfront Center released a statement on Tuesday:
This incident is a police matter. Mr. Moore was admitted to the facility without the administrator being informed of his history. Waterfront Center was made aware of Mr. Moore’s prior sex offender status after the facility had already admitted him, when local police visited Waterfront to make the official notification. By that time it was after the fact and facilities in New York State are prohibited from discharging residents unless there is another facility available to receive them. When the incident in question occurred, facility administration immediately contacted the state DOH and the police, who took custody of the resident.”