Local News

Suffolk DA: Adult day care driver sexually assaulted 88-year-old woman with dementia

The assaults were captured on video surveillance, according to District Attorney Kevin Hayden.

Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden announced Wednesday that a Medford man was charged last week with multiple sexual assaults on an 88-year-old woman with dementia. David L Ryan/Globe Staff

By Lindsay Shachnow

August 29, 2024

1 minute to read

A Medford man was charged last week with multiple sexual assaults on an 88-year-old Chelsea woman with dementia whom he regularly drove to an elder care facility, officials say.

Edwin Lam, 66, was charged in Chelsea District Court on Aug. 19 with eight counts of indecent assault and battery on a +60/disabled person and ordered held on $7,500 bail, according to a statement from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Lam, who drove for Joyful Living Center Adult Day Health in Charlestown, assaulted the victim eight times between May 20 and July 11, all of which were recorded on Ring camera surveillance video, the office said.

The victim’s relative watched the video footage after seeing the woman crying and contacted Chelsea police, who were able to secure the videos, authorities say.

Lam was ordered to stay away from the victim’s house and surrender his passport. He was also prohibited from seeking rideshare employment, and forced to stay in Massachusetts and wear a GPS device, the statement said.

Lam will return to court Oct. 17 for a probable cause hearing.

Obtaining the video surveillance, District Attorney Kevin Hayden said, will be important to the case.

“We live in an era of widespread commercial and domestic video surveillance, which when used judiciously and appropriately can be a tremendous asset to investigators,” Hayden said. “It’s particularly fortunate because this is a case where the victim was unable to communicate what was happening to her.”