Officials at Emeritus Senior Living say they believe the incident was isolated, but police are concerned that there are other victims, possibly outside the facility given the brazen nature of the crime.
David Moreno, a former employee at Emeritus Senior Living, has been charged with sexually assaulting a 69-year-old disabled woman. Moreno, a 28-year-old Riverside resident, had been working at Emeritus as a maintenance worker. His job gave him access to the residents rooms.
Police allege that he went into the victim's room and sexually assaulted her sometime between June 1 and July 24 in 2012.
"The victim had dementia. Unfortunately, he was able to prey on that disability," said Brea Police Sgt. Jim Griffin.
Griffin said detectives were able to get physical evidence from the scene that linked them to the suspect.
Emeritus officials say Moreno passed a background check before he was hired. He was terminated from his job after his arrest in November.
"We are truly shocked and deeply saddened by this finding. We have been assisting the police in their investigation and continue our own internal review of the situation," Sharyl Ronan of Emeritus Senior Living said in a statement.
Moreno has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He remains free on $100,000 bail. Anyone with information is urged to call the Brea Police Department at (714) 671-4438.
