A Schuylkill County woman waived her right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges alleging she placed a dementia patient in a chokehold and pinned the victim against a wall at a local care facility.
Tina Zambo, 61, of Minersville, faces charges of misdemeanor simple assault and summary harassment. She appeared before Magisterial District Judge Casimir Kosciolek on Tuesday, when she waived her right to a preliminary hearing. She remains free on $200 unsecured bail.
State Police say they responded on Aug. 11 to Rosewood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in North Manheim Township for a report of a certified nursing assistant was abusing a dementia patient. Someone at the facility reportedly told police that the victim, who has resided at Rosewood since April, was repeatedly going in and out of other residents’ rooms.
A nurse sitting at a nearby station reported hearing screaming down the hallway. Upon turning toward the noise, the nurse reported seeing Zambo and the victim in the hallway, telling police Zambo “had her in a chokehold” and that “with her other arm, she was pushing her face into the wall”.
The nurse had to physically separate Zambo and the victim, later observing recent redness around the victim’s neck, police said. A second witness told investigators that she saw Zambo put her entire arm around the victim’s neck and pin her face into the wall with her hand.
Police noted that the victim was unable to provide details about the incident due to her medical condition.
When interviewed by police at her residence later that afternoon, Zambo said she was trying to redirect the victim from entering other patients’ rooms when the victim became agitated and aggressive toward her. Zambo told investigators she attempted to grab the victim with both arms around her shoulders because the victim was taller than her, adding, “and somehow I ended up going up around her neck”.
The case now moves to Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas.
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