Nursing assistant allegedly stabbed 78-year-old man with fork in Fort Lauderdale rehabilitation center

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida. – A 70-year-old nursing assistant was arrested Thursday, months after police filmed her stabbing a 78-year-old man with a fork at a Fort Lauderdale rehabilitation facility.

Authorities responded to the call at The Savoy at Fort Lauderdale rehabilitation center (2121 E. Commercial Blvd.), where a facility manager said on May 11 that the facility was conducting an internal investigation into “elder abuse and injuries sustained by patients.”

Surveillance videos recorded at 8:13 p.m., 8:40 p.m. and 8:58 p.m. that day showed CNA Nerissa Betton “physically abusing several patients,” the police report said.

A video shows Betton repeatedly hitting and stabbing a 78-year-old man with her hands and a metal fork. She sustained wounds to his right leg and forehead that caused “heavy bleeding,” police said.

After stabbing the victim, Betton attempted to stop the bleeding with paper towels, police reported. She then notified other nurses on the unit, who continued to treat the man's injuries, the police report said.

In a written internal report on the incident, authorities said Betton falsely claimed the man inflicted his injuries on himself by hitting his head on a table.

Shortly after the stabbing, police said Betton “aggressively” attacked an 87-year-old woman and another patient, whose identities were not mentioned in the report.

According to police, the facility's internal investigation team reviewed surveillance footage that contradicted Betton's claims.

Investigators confirmed that the footage provided “clear evidence” of Betton's actions and showed that the victims' injuries were not self-inflicted but were the result of her physical abuse.

Authorities confirmed that Betton was placed on leave pending further investigations.

Jail records show she is charged with two counts of abuse of an elderly or disabled person without serious bodily harm, one count of serious bodily harm to a person 65 years of age or older and another count of neglect or abuse of an elderly person.

Betton appeared in Broward County court on Friday, where a judge released her without bail and barred her from contact with the victims. The judge also ruled that Betton is barred from working in any profession that involves treating the elderly or disabled until further notice.