Larson enters plea today on charges

Published 9:35 am Thursday, December 17, 2009

Nineteen-year-old Ashton Larson, one of the two young women charged with alleged elder abuse at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea, was expected to appear in Freeborn County District Court today to enter a plea to the charges against her.

Larson faces two counts of fifth-degree assault, five counts of criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult, two counts of disorderly conduct of a vulnerable adult and one count of mandatory failure to report stemming from alleged incidents at the nursing home in Albert Lea from January through May 2008.

The hearing came a month after Freeborn County District Court Judge Steve Schwab issued a written order denying the motion made by Larson’s lawyer to dismiss the criminal complaint against his client for lack of probable cause.

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If Larson pleads not guilty to the charges, she will be scheduled for a jury trial.

Co-defendant Brianna Broitzman, who faces similar charges, previously pleaded not guilty to all of her charges in August. Her jury trial has been scheduled for April 2010.

Charges in the case came in December 2008 after an investigation into the allegations of abuse by local and Minnesota Department of Health officials; however, details of the allegations surfaced August 2008 after the release of the Department of Health’s report.

The report concluded four teenagers were involved in verbal, sexual and emotional abuse of 15 residents at the nursing home.

Larson’s plea hearing was scheduled for 9:30 a.m.

Look to AlbertLeaTribune.com for news from the appearance.