photo by: Mike Yoder

Two mentally challenged men living together in Lawrence were beaten, confined and forced to fight each other over two months by a professional caregiver assigned to their home, according to recently released court documents.

Brooke Tiara Shinn, 20, of Topeka, was arrested April 26 in connection with the case. She faces two felony counts of mistreatment of a dependent adult, one felony count of aggravated battery and one misdemeanor count of criminal restraint.

Throughout 2015, Shinn was one of two ResCare caregivers responsible for looking after the two men living in a home in the 2700 block of Crestline Drive, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Douglas County District Court. Shinn would care for the men on the weekends while the second caregiver kept watch during the week.

ResCare is a national company and the largest private, in-home service provider for the disabled, said Kristen Trenamen, the company’s director of communications. The company has more than 900 employees in Kansas and 50,000 across the country. Trenamen would not say how long Shinn worked for ResCare, but did say Shinn is no longer employed with the company.

photo by: Mike Yoder

On June 3, 2015, police responded to the Kansas Department for Children and Families, DCF, in Lawrence for a report of abuse, the affidavit says. A sister of one of the men and the weekday caregiver were both passing information to the organization alleging physical abuse and mismanagement of the mens’ money.

An arrest affidavit is a document filed by police justifying a specific arrest. Any allegations within affidavits must still be proven in court, and Shinn is awaiting a preliminary hearing where she will be able to respond to the charges.

The sister told DCF her brother’s behavior was changing and he was, at one point, afraid to return to his home, the affidavit says. The woman reported Shinn gave her brother two black eyes and shoved him to the ground.

According to the affidavit, some of the mens’ money — allotted for activities — was being used for food and supplies instead, noting that the two men were sharing basic toiletries such as a razor.

The alleged abuses took place between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2015, according to a criminal complaint filed in Douglas County District Court.

“The report alleged Shinn seems to think it is funny to have the two clients push each other down and sit on each other or physically harm them and to make them fight each other,” the affidavit says.

At times, Shinn would lock both men in their rooms for the entire weekend, leaving them without food, medication or anything else, the affidavit says. The report also mentions mismanagement of the house on ResCare’s behalf, noting “the house is always running out of food” so the men “go without.”

Both men suffered cuts to the face and black eyes, the affidavit says.

After the DCF report was submitted, police went to the home to speak to the two men, the affidavit says.

The first man denied being abused by Shinn but said she would beat the other man and that “it was not nice for her to hit,” the affidavit says.

The second man — who was initially afraid to speak with police — said both he and the first man were abused, the affidavit says. He detailed one incident where he saw Shinn force the other man to put his nose on a hot stove coil and another where she beat him with a fly swatter, according to the documents. On other occasions she would beat the two men with her fists, he said.

Police then spoke with the second caregiver, who said she was aware of Shinn’s activities because the two would communicate about what happened during their shifts, the affidavit says. The caregiver gave pictures, videos and messages to DCF and to the sister of one of the men, documenting instances of abuse.

The caregiver told police that Shinn said once during an argument she beat one of the men so badly she “got scared and freaked out when she noticed all the blood on the kitchen floor,” the affidavit says. Shinn then told the caregiver she would falsify an incident report, saying the man fell outside while he was smoking a cigarette, the caregiver alleged.

When asked about Shinn possibly filing false reports, Trenamen said she would not comment on the specific incident, citing pending litigation.

The caregiver also said she witnessed Shinn locking one of the men into a small, dark closet, the affidavit says. The man could not get out of the closet because there is no handle on the inside of the door, she said.

The caregiver told police Shinn locked one man in the closet or in his bedroom so many times it was hard to remember each specific instance, the affidavit says.

On June 6, 2015, police spoke to Shinn, who initially denied the allegations but later detailed one incident in the house’s kitchen, the affidavit says. During the incident, Shinn told police, she was defending herself but “lost control” and continued to hit one of the men while he was on the floor.

Shinn said she fabricated an incident report informing ResCare that the man was injured in a fall, the affidavit says. However, one DCF employee said ResCare had no incident reports filed regarding the Crestline Drive home in 2015.

Trenamen said when ResCare learned of the investigation the company fully cooperated with authorities. The company no longer has a presence in the Lawrence area, she said.

“We screen all potential employees to ensure they meet strict background screening requirements,” Trenamen said in an email. “We distribute our code of conduct to all of our employees during their first day on the job that define expectations that must be met.”

Shinn was released from the Douglas County Jail after posting a $5,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court at 2 p.m. May 24 for a preliminary hearing. A preliminary hearing is meant for the court to decide whether there is enough evidence to order a defendant to stand trial.

Shinn has no prior criminal convictions in Douglas County District Court.

If convicted, Shinn could face more than 25 years in prison for the felony charges and up to a year in jail for the misdemeanor charge.