John Jefferson
Inset: Curtis Hightower III (Richmond County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Barclay Senior Living in Augusta, Georgia (Google Maps).
A temporary worker at a senior living home in Georgia punched an 82-year-old resident hard enough to kill the man — leading to criminal charges this week, police say.
Curtis Hightower III, 28, was arrested Sunday and charged with exploitation of an elderly or disabled person and aggravated battery for the Jan. 5 incident, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and online jail records.
Local CBS and NBC affiliates WRDW and WAGT spoke to the Richmond County Coroner about what happened, reporting Monday that Hightower, who is a nursing assistant, had killed a resident at the Barclay Senior Living home in the 200 block of Frazier Court, where he worked.
The victim, Harry Millard, suffered fatal injuries during the assault after falling to the ground and hitting his head. He died on Jan. 17 at a hospital.
According to police, Hightower struck Millard “with a closed fist, causing said victim to fall to the ground, where the victim’s head bounced off the floor, resulting in said victim losing consciousness.” He tried claiming that the elderly resident suffered injuries caused by a fall, but staffers determined this was a lie after reviewing security footage.
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Citing a press release obtained, WRDW and WAGT reported that the sheriff’s office described Hightower as a “temp who was hired or placed through a contracted staffing agency, Consolidated Medical Staffing.” The executive director at Barclay Senior Living, Kristen Ryan, told investigators that Hightower was hired by the facility directly through the staffing agency. He is no longer working there.
Attempts by Law&Crime to reach Consolidated Medical Staffing and Barclay Senior Living for comment on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
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