THE LOWEST BAR

Health Care Workers Hit With Hate-Crime Charges for Attacking Their Disabled Patients, Feds Say

They discussed their hatred for the non-verbal patients in texts and then tried to cover up the horrific abuse, federal prosecutors said.

Two former employees of a Pennsylvania health care clinic were charged with hate crimes after they allegedly attacked their disabled, non-verbal residents for more than a year. Zachary Dinell, 28, and Tyler Smith, 31, were charged with 10 counts of hate crimes against residents of an in-patient treatment center in New Brighton. The two were also charged with conspiracy to commit hate crimes and attempt to conceal their assaults. According to federal prosecutors, Dinell and Smith shared their hatred for the residents in their care in texts between June 2016 and September 2017, plotting ways to take out their anger on them. The two allegedly punched and kicked the residents, jumped on them, and sprayed and rubbed harmful liquids in their eyes and mouths, encouraging the abuse in their messages. The victims were helpless, prosecutors said, because they were non-verbal and couldn’t report the torment. “The defendants are charged with targeting the most vulnerable members of our community because of their disabilities,” said United States Attorney Cindy Chung in a statement. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue our work to ensure that these victims ... have a voice.”