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Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

Former New Hope administrator indicted

HARRODSBURG — A Mercer County grand jury has indicted the former head of an agency that cared for the mentally disabled on one count of rape and five counts of first-degree sexual abuse.

Terry Wallingford, 45, of Harrodsburg remains in the Boyle County jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

Wallingford, the former executive director of the now-closed New Hope Agency LLC in Burgin, was arrested July 1 when allegations first surfaced about the sexual abuse of New Hope employees.

The indictment issued Thursday lists five former employees of New Hope Agency as witnesses for the commonwealth in the grand-jury proceedings. The rape count is a class B felony punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison. Each count of first-degree sexual abuse is a class D felony punishable by one to five years in prison.

Meanwhile, New Hope Agency remains under investigation by the state attorney general’s office and other agencies.

Wallingford and New Hope were named as defendants in a lawsuit filed in July by David Orwick, a Woodford County man who has a minority interest in New Hope.

The lawsuit makes various allegations against Wallingford and others regarding sexual abuse and harassment of employees.

Bruce Simpson, an attorney for Orwick, said he and Orwick were interviewed by an investigator with the attorney general’s Medicaid fraud unit about a week ago.

“I know it’s a very serious investigation,” Simpson said.

Residents were removed from New Hope on July 11 for placement elsewhere around the state. At the time of its closing, New Hope had 17 residents and 22 employees.

New Hope Agency offered a variety of services to people with mental and developmental disabilities, including adult foster care; psychological services; and speech, physical and occupational therapy.

Wallingford will be arraigned Sept. 9 in Harrodsburg.