SALEM, Ore. – A Klamath Falls nurse is pleading guilty to felony criminal mistreatment as part of a negotiated plea deal in an elder abuse case.
The announcement came from the Oregon Department of Justice on Tuesday.
Phyllis Dodds, a former employee of Pacifica Senior Living in Klamath Falls, was under investigation for allegations of neglect for specifically “failing to provide nursing care to three residents.”
During the investigation, officials say the patients were seriously harmed as a result of a continual lack of assessments and failure to provide follow-ups on medical treatment.
Dodds pled guilty to neglecting an elderly patient through a failure to complete medical assessments or proper documentation as well as a failure to communicate with other staff members back in January of 2022. After which, the patient in question was found dead the following morning.
The investigation into Dodds was a collaboration between the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Klamath County Adult Protection Services, and the Oregon DOJ’s Medical Fraud Unit or MFU.
“Elder abuse in any form is unconscionable and reprehensible. When it rises to this level of criminal mistreatment, it is imperative that we hold offenders accountable,” said Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. “I commend our Medicaid Fraud Unit and the close cooperation with Klamath County law enforcement and Adult Protective Services in achieving this result.”
Under the deal, Dodds will surrender her Oregon Registered Nurse license, spend three years on supervised probation, perform 150 hours of community service, and is not allowed to work as a paid caregiver.
The Oregon Department of Justice MFU is a specialty team comprised of a Senior Assistant Attorney General, an Investigator and a Nurse investigator. The team is primarily dedicated to investigating and prosecuting abuse and neglect cases across Oregon.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.