CAUTION: This report includes information about mistreatment.
An employee facing allegations of mistreating vulnerable individuals at a group home in Saskatchewan has refuted the claims made against her.
Jaclyn Elias, aged 38, gave her testimony on Tuesday as part of her defense during her trial at North Battleford provincial court.
She is facing charges of assault, sexual assault, and making threats against residents at a group home in Wilkie, Sask., over a 13-month period ending on Feb. 28, 2024. Wilkie is situated approximately 50 kilometers southwest of North Battleford.
The adult residents at the group home, who have intellectual disabilities, are wheelchair-bound, non-verbal, and dependent on assistance for all their daily activities, including being lifted out of bed, dressed, bathed, and fed.
Three former colleagues of Elias and the executive director of Prairie Branches, the organization overseeing the group home, provided testimony as witnesses for the prosecution. Elias was dismissed from her position following the emergence of the accusations against her.
The identities of the four residents allegedly subjected to mistreatment by Elias are shielded by a publication ban.
Erica Herle, the last witness for the prosecution on Tuesday morning, stated that she worked with Elias only once a month. According to Herle, during a shift in February 2024, she heard a distressful noise coming from a room where Elias and another caregiver, Holly Ennis, were with a resident.
When the resident was brought out in a wheelchair, Herle described him as appearing “shaky” and “terrified.” She feared he might have a seizure.
Later, Ennis informed Herle that Elias had allegedly told the resident, “Today is the day you will die.”
Ennis had testified the previous day about witnessing Elias covering the resident’s mouth and nose while stating, “You’re so cute. I could kill you.”
Herle couldn’t shake off the incident from her mind after her shift ended and eventually reported it to human resources later that month.
“Ultimately, we are here to speak the truth,” Herle expressed. “I believe more people should advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves.”
Elias’s Testimony
Following the conclusion of the prosecution’s case on Tuesday morning, defense attorney Meagan Ward called Elias to testify.
Elias was questioned about all the accusations made by her co-workers.
One incident involved a resident who drooled excessively and harmed herself by biting her hand. Elias’s regular shift partner, Lisa Knuff, claimed to have seen Elias placing a washcloth in the resident’s mouth to prevent drooling.
Elias denied this but admitted to loosely tying a washcloth around the resident’s hand, which unintentionally ended up in the resident’s mouth on one occasion, causing difficulty in removal.
Another allegation pertained to an elderly male resident. All three co-workers testified to witnessing Elias either shaking her breasts in his face or engaging in suggestive behavior with him.
Elias explained that she would dance to music to entertain the residents. Ward queried Elias about physical contact with that resident.
“No,” responded Elias.
She also denied inserting her fingers into the resident’s mouth in a suggestive manner.
Elias mentioned that accidental contact might have occurred while assisting residents with their lifts due to her short stature of four feet ten inches.
Regarding the accusation of covering a resident’s mouth and threatening him, Elias firmly denied it ever happening.
She also rejected the claim of using an object to touch another resident’s groin.
Discussion on Appropriate Conduct
During her testimony and under questioning by Crown prosecutor Danielle Elder, Elias admitted to calling one of the residents a “pervert” while leaning over him, stating it was a recurring joke in the group home.
Elder probed, “Do you