COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — All remaining criminal charges against staff members at Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center will no longer be moving forward, at least for now.
Commonwealth's Attorney Gray Collins told CBS 6 on Monday he plans to nolle prosse charges against defendants whose cases were still pending. That means the charges will essentially be dropped but could still be brought back at a later date.
Back in December 2024, police swarmed the nursing home to arrest 18 employees, including the administrator and nursing staff members, on charges that ranged from misdemeanor falsifying records to felony abuse and neglect.
Prosecutors said the charges were connected to the alleged inadequate care an elderly resident received. They claimed she was not turned or changed and left to sit in her feces, which caused wounds and eventually her death.
In a separate case, police arrested the facility's medical director for alleged inadequate oversight of patient care, claiming he allowed a mentally incompetent resident to discharge himself from the facility when he was not capable of caring for himself.
Since charges were brought, one misdemeanor case was dismissed outright, three defendants entered a plea deal on misdemeanor charges, and the remaining cases were either nolle prossed or still pending in court.
Collins did not directly explain his reasoning for setting the remaining charges aside but said in a statement that his office was "continuing to further investigate additional information."
Mindie Barnett, a spokesperson for Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, said in a statement, “Colonial Heights is also pleased with the Prosecutor’s reported decision not to proceed with the remaining filed charges against any of the current or former Colonial Heights staff currently. We look forward to each, and every, employee being able to focus exclusively on resident care and needs.”
Collins previously told CBS 6 in March that at least four additional alleged victims at the facility had been identified through ongoing investigations and that he expected at that time for some charges to be upgraded
He indicated additional information about the cases will be forthcoming.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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