Employee at Community Living Cambridge suspended after reports of assault

Waterloo Regional Police are investigating after witnesses reported seeing a woman assault a 78-year-old man with a developmental disability in Cambridge.

Inspector Michael Haffner says the call came in on Sunday just after noon on Hespeler Road after witnesses saw a man being assaulted as he tried to get into a van.

“What witnesses observed was a female striking a 78-year-old male, and that caused them some concern. They did intervene and speak to the individuals, which gave the necessary information for us to continue our investigation.”

Through their investigation, police discovered the victim of the assault is a resident of Community Living Cambridge – an agency that provides support and services to people in our community with developmental challenges.

A 61-year-old female employee of Community Living Cambridge was arrested and charged with assault in connection to the incident.

Denise Gruber is Executive Director of Community Living Cambridge and says this kind of a situation was incredibly distressing for them.

“We’re so very thankful for a citizen to be looking out for this vulnerable person and reaching out to the authorities in such a timely manner. The people that we support really need that extra hand – so although this is distressing, we’re thankful that somebody was willing to step in.”

Police say the 78-year-old victim was taken to Cambridge Memorial Hospital and has since been released, and they continue to work closely with Community Living Cambridge.

“To determine if this 61-year-old female has had any other interaction with any other persons associated to their organization, she has been charged and will appear in court on the 31st of March,” said Haffner.

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