SMITHFIELD – An employee at a Johnston County assisted living facility was arrested this afternoon (Monday) on allegations he raped an elderly female patient.

The alleged incident occurred at Brookdale Senior Living at 830 Berkshire Road in Smithfield. Around 2:55am last Thursday, Dec. 19th, officers responded to the facility to investigate a report a 79 year-old female victim, a resident of Brookdale Senior Living, was sexually assaulted by a male staff member.

Investigators with the Smithfield Police Department were called in and the incident was turned over for further investigation.

Monday afternoon, Police Captain R. Sheppard said in a press release, “With cooperation of Brookdale Senior Living and support of the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office this investigation has been closed with an arrest being made.”

Joseph Ngigi Kariuki, 47, of Clayton was arrested this afternoon and charged with second-degree forcible rape. He was booked into the Johnston County Jail under a $100,000 secured bond. Kariuki will have a first appearance in Johnston County District Court on Friday, December 27th.

Brookdale Senior Living released a statement Monday evening saying:

We are saddened by these allegations as having the trust of our residents and their families is extremely important to us. We take the safety and wellbeing of our residents very seriously. Inappropriate conduct or behavior is never tolerated, and is dealt with swiftly.

The suspect was detained by a supervisor as soon as we became aware of the allegations. Police were then contacted and the suspect was removed from the community. We cooperated with police throughout their investigation.

Our company has thorough employment standards in place, including background checks, complying with state rules and regulations, and ongoing training of employees. Our hiring policies were followed in regard to this individual.

Out of privacy for those involved, we are unable to provide any further details.