Misdemeanor Charge Dropped Against Owner of Care Facility

Ventura County prosecutors dropped a criminal charge Wednesday against the owner of a residential care facility in Oxnard who was accused of slapping an elderly woman in her care.

Florentina Tucay, 54, pleaded not guilty last month to a single count of misdemeanor battery.

But the charge was dismissed in Ventura County Superior Court for lack of evidence.

Standing in the courthouse hallway, Tucay and her husband, Chris, said the allegations have been “devastating.”

“I was very upset and saddened to be charged,” Florentina Tucay said. “I would never slap or intend to hurt one of my clients.”

Over the past several weeks, relatives of the woman whom authorities said Tucay slapped wrote letters to prosecutors defending Tucay and describing her as a good elder-care provider, lawyers said.

Tucay owns two six-bed care facilities in Oxnard: Cristina’s Board & Care and Tucay Home Care. Both homes have been licensed with the state since 1993.

While Tucay’s name has been cleared, one of her employees still faces charges in a separate case. Feddy Biascan, 52, of Oxnard, is accused of fondling two female residents in their mid-70s.

Biascan was arrested several weeks ago after an employee at Cristina’s Board & Care reported the alleged molestation. He faces two charges of battery and is awaiting trial.