Lowell nursing assistant accused of sexually assaulting nursing home residents

A certified nursing assistant is being charged with sexually assaulting two elderly nursing home residents at two different facilities, according to Attorney General Maura Healey’s office.

The CNA – 40-year-old Charles Wachira of Lowell – allegedly assaulted a female resident while bathing her, which is a task the resident is able to do by herself, Healy’s office said. The alleged assault occurred at Knollwood Nursing Center in Worcester in February of 2020.

The AG’s Office also discovered Wachira allegedly sexual assaulted a different female nursing home resident in February of 2021 at Bear Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Wakefield.

Wachira allegedly told the resident – who did not need help with incontinence or toileting – that he needed to “measure” her, and then assaulted her.

“Wachira worked as a CNA and received assignments at nursing facilities through CNA placement agencies, often working the evening and overnight shifts,” the AG’s office wrote. “As a CNA, Wachira was responsible for changing, bathing, feeding, toileting, and assisting incontinent nursing facility residents.”

The AG’s Office contacted the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification – who licenses CNAs in the state – in regards to the charges.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office first notified the AG’s Office of the accusations, which started a joint investigation into the incident. The Middlesex DA’s Office had already been investigating the Worcester and Wakefield allegations.

A Worcester County Grand Jury indicted Wachira on Aug. 13 on one count of Annoying and Accosting Persons and two counts of Indecent Assault and Battery Upon an Elder. He pleaded not guilty and was arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on Thursday.

A Middlesex County Grand Jury also indicted Wachira on July 20 on one count of Attempted Indecent Assault and Battery, one count of Indecent Assault and Battery Upon an Elder, and one count of Annoying and Accosting Persons. He will be arraigned for those charges at a later date in Middlesex Superior Court.

The AG’s Office reported that Judge Janet Kenton Walker released Wachira before the trial under court-ordered conditions and will be back at Worcester Superior Court for a pre-trail conference on Oct. 13.

Wachira’s conditions include prohibition from working or volunteering with people over the age of 60, with disabled people, or as a CNA. He is also prohibited from leaving the state without court permission.

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