Stacey Cunnius.jpg

Stacey Cunnius

(submitted)

A Berks County caregiver has been charged with homicide in the death of a Reading man due to "gruesome infection" that included foot wounds filled with maggots, said the state attorney general.

Stacey Ann Cunnius, 43, of the 100 block of North Fourth Street, Reading, is accused of neglecting the care of Jessie McCrimmon, who suffered from spina bifida, said Attorney General Bruce R. Beemer Wednesday.

Cunnius is also charged with two counts of Medicaid fraud and one count each of neglect of a care-dependent person, theft by deception and recklessly endangering another person.

Cunnius was being paid to care for McCrimmon, who died in July 2015 after being admitted to an emergency room with wounds in his feet that were severely infected and filled with maggots, Beemer said.

"It is clear this man endured considerable pain at the end of his life because he did not receive the care that he needed," Beemer said. "The defendant's failure to provide adequate treatment led to this tragic death."

He said McCrimmon was admitted to the emergency room at St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading in June 2015 with septic shock with wounds in both feet.

Investigators said McCrimmon was missing toes on his right foot and had bone exposed, and his left foot was only being held on by necrotic flesh. His wounds required an emergency below-the-knee amputation of both legs, investigators said.

After that procedure, McCrimmon suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome, severe hypoxia, septic shock and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, court records said. The decision was made July 15 to end medical treatment, and McCrimmon died.

The Berks County coroner ruled McCrimmon's death a homicide, stating that he had a paid caregiver who "failed to provide necessary medical intervention." His infection resulted from "extreme neglect" of his wounds, said the coroner.

McCrimmon had severe ulcers in his feet, which appeared to be responsive to treatment he received at a medical facility, said the coroner's report. But investigators said McCrimmon's last appointment to receive treatment for the ulcers was about nine months prior to his hospitalization.

Cunnius is also accused of defrauded the state medical assistance program by knowingly submitting false time sheets related to McCrimmon's care, and of providing services "that were of little or no benefit, or below the accepted medical treatment standards."

A preliminary hearing for Cunnius is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 15.

This investigation was the result of a referral from the Adult Protective Services Office of the state Department of Aging. The charges came after an investigation by the attorney general's Medicaid Fraud Control Section.