Police submit charges in elder abuse allegation

Police have determined a suspect in assault allegations made last week by a 92-year-old female resident at a Cape Girardeau assisted-living facility, the Cape Girardeau Police Department announced Tuesday.

The department has submitted charges to the prosecutor's office for review, according to an email from spokesman Darin Hickey. The suspect is not in custody at this time, Hickey said.

After the report about the possibility of elder abuse at the Lutheran Home, administrator Gerry Russell said in a prepared statement the employee was not allowed to return to work and is no longer employed there. After a visiting family member noticed bruising on the victim's cheek, the victim told police she had been assaulted by a Lutheran Home staff member.