News Update
UPDATED: Man accused of group home beating pleads guilty
By Conner Hammett, chammett@starlocalnews.com
A caretaker at an Allen group home who police say was caught on camera beating a young autistic man has pleaded guilty to one felony count of injury to a disabled person.
Michael Reginald Fuller, 41, of Allen, was arrested in June 2011 after police reviewed hidden camera footage that allegedly showed him striking Taylor Hartley, who was 22 at the time, in the face and body with his hands and a plastic toy rifle.
His plea was made before the judge May 22, and a sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 13.
Taylor's mother, Karen, said she is glad there will be no trial and is hopeful Fuller will receive the maximum sentence of 10 years for the third-degree felony offense.
"I do want the [District Attorney] to present all the evidence to the judge for sentencing, to show how horrendous the crime was against our son," she said. "Taylor may be 22, but because of his disability he's defenseless and as innocent as a 5-year-old."
Karen placed the hidden camera in Taylor's room at 801 Meadow Creek Drive in May 2011. She suspected her son was being abused at the group home after his dentist informed her that his jaw was broken in December 2010 and when bruises and burn marks began to appear on his body in May 2011.
Karen said she contacted state authorities multiple times prior to installing the camera, but no charges were ever filed until she came to the Allen Police Department with the footage.
"They had pictures of the injuries, and they'd always come back saying it was inconclusive," she said.
The first investigation into possible abuse of Taylor was in March 2010, when an employee from Allen High School reported he came to school with bruises on his chest, buttocks and extremities, including a 10-inch-by-4-inch bruise on his buttocks. An Adult Protective Services investigation concluded the next day that the bruises were caused by Taylor "plopping down" on the floor of the group home's van from his seat and scooting on his buttocks to exit the vehicle.
Allen PD records obtained by the Allen American through an open records request also show an APS referral dated Nov. 11, 2010 in which Taylor is listed as the victim and Fuller as the suspect. While the records provide no further detail on the incident, Karen said the referral was made three days before her husband discovered a bruise on Taylor's face, which employees of the home told both parents was made after Taylor fell on a sidewalk. The Hartleys photographed the injury but did not report the incident to Allen police or any state agencies after hearing the caretakers' explanation.
The home on Meadow Creek is one of three owned and operated in the city of Allen by You-Ni-Que Homes. Karen said she also intends to file a civil lawsuit against the owners of the company.
The Fuller case is not the only legal issue You-Ni-Que has had since opening the homes in 2004. In May 2010, Frank Nerkowski, the former owner of the company, was indicted for criminal negligence causing serious bodily injury after a resident in need of medical care waited nine hours to see a nurse. Another employee, Sylvia Williams, was indicted the same day for injury to a disabled person, a charge stemming from the same incident. Williams' trial is scheduled for June 11, while Nerkowski's trial has been rescheduled for July 23.
A representative from the Collin County District Attorney's office declined to comment on the sentence the office is seeking in the Fuller case because the case is still pending.
Fuller's attorney could not be reached for comment.
Michael Reginald Fuller, 41, of Allen, was arrested in June 2011 after police reviewed hidden camera footage that allegedly showed him striking Taylor Hartley, who was 22 at the time, in the face and body with his hands and a plastic toy rifle.
His plea was made before the judge May 22, and a sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 13.
Taylor's mother, Karen, said she is glad there will be no trial and is hopeful Fuller will receive the maximum sentence of 10 years for the third-degree felony offense.
"I do want the [District Attorney] to present all the evidence to the judge for sentencing, to show how horrendous the crime was against our son," she said. "Taylor may be 22, but because of his disability he's defenseless and as innocent as a 5-year-old."
Karen placed the hidden camera in Taylor's room at 801 Meadow Creek Drive in May 2011. She suspected her son was being abused at the group home after his dentist informed her that his jaw was broken in December 2010 and when bruises and burn marks began to appear on his body in May 2011.
Karen said she contacted state authorities multiple times prior to installing the camera, but no charges were ever filed until she came to the Allen Police Department with the footage.
"They had pictures of the injuries, and they'd always come back saying it was inconclusive," she said.
The first investigation into possible abuse of Taylor was in March 2010, when an employee from Allen High School reported he came to school with bruises on his chest, buttocks and extremities, including a 10-inch-by-4-inch bruise on his buttocks. An Adult Protective Services investigation concluded the next day that the bruises were caused by Taylor "plopping down" on the floor of the group home's van from his seat and scooting on his buttocks to exit the vehicle.
Allen PD records obtained by the Allen American through an open records request also show an APS referral dated Nov. 11, 2010 in which Taylor is listed as the victim and Fuller as the suspect. While the records provide no further detail on the incident, Karen said the referral was made three days before her husband discovered a bruise on Taylor's face, which employees of the home told both parents was made after Taylor fell on a sidewalk. The Hartleys photographed the injury but did not report the incident to Allen police or any state agencies after hearing the caretakers' explanation.
The home on Meadow Creek is one of three owned and operated in the city of Allen by You-Ni-Que Homes. Karen said she also intends to file a civil lawsuit against the owners of the company.
The Fuller case is not the only legal issue You-Ni-Que has had since opening the homes in 2004. In May 2010, Frank Nerkowski, the former owner of the company, was indicted for criminal negligence causing serious bodily injury after a resident in need of medical care waited nine hours to see a nurse. Another employee, Sylvia Williams, was indicted the same day for injury to a disabled person, a charge stemming from the same incident. Williams' trial is scheduled for June 11, while Nerkowski's trial has been rescheduled for July 23.
A representative from the Collin County District Attorney's office declined to comment on the sentence the office is seeking in the Fuller case because the case is still pending.
Fuller's attorney could not be reached for comment.
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