Trial for elder abuse case moved to July

Published 11:09 am Monday, March 1, 2010

The jury trial for Brianna Broitzman, one of two young women charged as adults with alleged elder abuse of residents at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea, has been rescheduled for July.

According to the Freeborn County District Court schedule, Broitzman’s pre-trial will be July 9, with her jury trial beginning July 12.

Her trial was originally scheduled for April but was moved because of a scheduling conflict with the trial against Albert Lean Chad Jamie Gulbertson — who is accused of murdering his estranged girlfriend Jody Lee Morrow last June.

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A spokeswoman with Freeborn County District Court administration said Broitzman’s trial date is likely to change again if Broitzman and her lawyer request a change of venue.

Broitzman, 20, faces 11 charges ranging from fifth-degree assault, criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult, disorderly conduct and mandatory failure to report suspected abuse at the nursing home. The charges stem from alleged incidents at the nursing home from January through May 2008.

The allegations surfaced after the release of a Minnesota Department of Health report in August 2008 that concluded four teenagers were involved in verbal, sexual and emotional abuse of 15 residents at the nursing home. Broitzman’s co-defendant, Ashton Larson, is scheduled for trial in August.