SANDUSKY, Ohio – A night-shift nurse accused of sexually abusing as many as two dozen elderly or disabled patients at a nursing home was in jail Wednesday, authorities said.
Many of the victims at Concord Care and Rehabilitation Center were unable to report the abuse, and some have since died, said Perkins Township Police Chief Tim McClung.
Police said they suspect as many as 24 victims, judging by statements suspect John Riems made under questioning.
Riems, 49, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Sandusky Municipal Court to felony charges of rape and gross sexual imposition. The jail didn't have information on an attorney for Riems.
The director at the nursing home said in a statement that Riems had been fired.
"We cannot share any more detail at this time out of respect for the privacy of our residents, and in light of the ongoing police investigation," Jessica Short said in the statement.
Investigators are looking into Riems' past, which includes employment at other facilities. McClung wouldn't identify the other places where he worked.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox