Charges amended on Wednesday

The Freeborn County Attorney’s Office on Wednesday filed amended charges against Ashton Michelle Larson in the case of alleged abuse of residents at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea.

Prior to the amendment, Larson, 20, had been charged with 10 counts, ranging from fifth-degree assault, criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult, criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult involving sexual contact, disorderly conduct by a caregiver and failure to report suspected abuse.

She is now charged with 17 counts.

The charges include:

• Four counts of fifth-degree assault by a caregiver to a vulnerable adult.
• Four counts of criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult.
• Three counts of criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult involving sexual contact.
• Five counts of disorderly conduct by a caregiver.

One count of failure to report suspected abuse.

The charges represent five alleged victims.

Specifically, two counts have been added for fifth-degree assault, three have been added for criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult and three have been added for disorderly conduct, said Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson. One count has been taken away for criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult involving sexual contact.

Nelson said the amended charges came about as he was preparing for Larson’s trial. The total counts represent three or four ways of charging the same allegations.

Larson is one of six young women who face charges of alleged abuse from January through May 2008. She and co-defendant Brianna Broitzman have been charged as adults, while the remaining four young women faced charges in juvenile court for mandated reporter failure to report suspected abuse because they were under 18 at the time of the alleged abuse.

Broitzman, who faces 15 counts, pleaded guilty Aug. 16 to three counts of disorderly conduct by a caregiver as part of a plea agreement in the case. Nelson added four counts to her charges a few days prior to when she entered the plea.

She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 22.

Nelson said he has not had any contact with Larson’s lawyer — about a plea agreement or otherwise — since Broitzman’s plea was entered, so he is moving forward with preparing for the young woman’s trial.

A pretrial court hearing in the case has been scheduled for Sept. 15, but the actual trial itself has not been scheduled.

It will be held outside of Freeborn County after Freeborn County District Court Judge Steve Schwab approved a change of venue.

Nelson said he has prepared his proposed jury instructions for the trial.