MIDDLETOWN — A tenth staff member at Connecticut’s only maximum-security psychiatric hospital has been arrested in connection with the alleged repeated abuse of a patient.
State police said Wednesday that they arrested forensic nurse Michael Presnick on cruelty to persons and disorderly conduct charges. The 27-year-old Cromwell resident posted $25,000 bail and was ordered to appear in court Oct. 24.
The 10 arrests followed the suspensions of 31 employees earlier this year related to the alleged abuse of a patient at the state-run Whiting Forensic Division of Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown.
Police say the allegations against Presnick include him spraying the patient in the face with an aerosol-type spray.
Presnick did not immediately return a Facebook message Wednesday. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer who could respond to the allegations.