Ex-nursing home worker indicted on sex assault charges

PORTSMOUTH - A former maintenance worker for an assisted living facility was indicted for four crimes alleging he sexually assaulted a disabled resident of a Portsmouth nursing home.

Carlos Cruz, 43, of 123 Rochester St., Berwick, Maine, was indicted by the most recent Rockingham County Superior Court grand jury for four sexual-assault charges alleging he "took advantage" of the woman's physical disability to sexually assault her. Four specific assaults are described in the four indictments, which also allege the woman was assaulted "through the element of surprise."

Portsmouth police arrested Cruz in February when they said the allegations were isolated incidents. According to an affidavit by police detective Kristyn Bernier, Cruz was a contracted, non-staff maintenance worker at the Clipper Harbor nursing home, which terminated him when the allegations were brought to police. Clipper Harbor spokeswoman Lori Mayer told the Portsmouth Herald at the time, "We immediately notified the local police department and the appropriate state agencies of the allegation, and cooperated fully with them since the alleged incident. The individual is no longer an employee of the center. The care, safety and well-being of our patients and residents is our priority."

The indictment means the grand jury found enough information to take the case to trial and is not a finding of guilt.