Care Home Employees Accused of Abuse

A male former employee of an Oxnard residential care facility has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery for allegedly fondling two elderly women who lived in the six-bed home.

Meanwhile, the facility’s operator has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of misdemeanor battery involving a different female resident.

Both cases are being investigated by state licensing officials.

In the sexual battery case, Feddy Biascan, 52, of Oxnard was scheduled to enter a plea to two criminal charges Wednesday, but his arraignment was postponed. His attorney did not return a call for comment.

Biascan was arrested several weeks ago after an employee at Cristina’s Board & Care reported the alleged molestation. Both of the alleged victims are in their mid-70s.

“As soon as we found out, we acted on it,” said Oxnard Police Sgt. Lee Wilcox, who described the women as extremely frail.

“They were unable to provide statements,” Wilcox said. “They are in the home being cared for because of either their mental or physical condition. I don’t know mentally whether they were able to understand what was happening to them.”

Wilcox said he was unaware of any other reports of alleged abuse at the facility, in the 1600 block of Kipling Court. He said he didn’t know Biascan’s history or whether he had worked at any other nursing homes in the area.

“We contacted the state licensing agency, and they are conducting a separate investigation,” Wilcox said.

Karen Perkins, a spokeswoman for the state agency, confirmed that inspectors are completing an inquiry into a Sept. 1 allegation that a male staff member improperly touched residents. She was unable to confirm Wednesday how long Biascan had worked at Cristina’s, but said a state order has been issued excluding him from the home.

“He cannot even set foot on the premises,” she said.

The state licensing investigation could be completed as early as today, Perkins said. It will examine Biascan’s alleged actions and determine whether any clients in the facility have been neglected or abused.

Depending on the findings, state officials could revoke the facility’s license, close it or determine that the problem has been resolved by removing the suspected employee.

Next month, facility operator Florentina Tucay, 54, of Oxnard is scheduled to stand trial on a single count of misdemeanor battery against another elderly female resident. She has denied the charge.

The woman Tucay is accused of battering remains a resident of the facility, said Ventura attorney Ed Whipple, who is representing Tucay.

Whipple said relatives of the female resident, who has lived at Cristina’s for 2 1/2 years, have written letters defending Tucay and describing her as a good elder-care provider.

Tucay still has her license to operate the facility, Whipple said. She also owns another residential care facility in Oxnard, Tucay Home Care. Both homes have been licensed with the state since 1993.