Possible $5,000 Kingston Commons theft probed

KINGSTON – Borough police are investigating a possible theft of $5,000 from a Kingston Commons Nursing Home resident’s spending account.

Kingston Commons Administrator Gary Malia said the investigation was sparked when an employee noticed a discrepancy in the account.

Borough Police Chief Keith Keiper on Monday confirmed department detectives are investigating the alleged theft. He said he was unfamiliar with details and said the case is active.

Malia, who took over administrator duties a month ago, said he is following protocol and praised his employee for bringing the discrepancy to his attention. He said he didn’t hesitate before calling police.

“If there was a quarter missing, I have to report it,” Malia said. He said he and his staff have cooperated with police and noted that no employees have been fired or suspended. He said he also contacted the state Department of Health.

“There’s no cover-up here. We’re just letting the process play out,” Malia said. “All it is right now is an allegation.”

State Department of Health spokeswoman Stacy Kriedman acknowledged the department has an open investigation.

“We’ll wait until the criminal investigation is completed,” Kriedman said. Regardless of the outcome of the police investigation, she said the Health Department also will conduct an investigation to “make sure the facility had the proper protection, procedure and protocol in place.”

Linda Bottger, supervisor of protective services with the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming counties, said she does not receive too many theft reports from local nursing homes. She says the first step for someone who has been the victim or someone who has a loved one who is a victim of theft should be to contact the center’s administrator. A call to police should be the next step if the administrator doesn’t provide satisfaction, she said.

The theft investigation for the Wyoming Avenue facility comes on the heels of the arrest and conviction of a former nursing aide and 16 violations found during a state inspection of the home in February 2007.

Nursing home officials called police about the theft Feb. 15, one day after a Luzerne County jury found David Michael Gula guilty of sexually assaulting one of the center’s residents.

Gula, of Exeter, was arrested and convicted on attempted rape and other charges in the assault of a 90-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who was in a vegetative state. He will be sentenced by Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge Michael Toole at 9 a.m. May 27.

In an unrelated matter, the state Department of Public Welfare said all 16 violations found in 2007 -- including failure to prevent the development of pressure sores on one resident and failure to take adequate precautions to prevent a fall by another -- were rectified.

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