A former service provider at a state-run facility in Texas has pleaded guilty to violating a resident’s civil rights. Tesa Keith, 37, admitted to kicking a resident, K.B., in the face without legal justification and for the purpose of punishing her. The assault occurred on June 13, 2017, at the San Angelo State Supported Living Center in San Angelo, Texas.
According to the plea agreement, Keith’s actions resulted in bodily injury to K.B. and violated the resident’s civil rights. The FBI investigated the incident and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
‘This defendant physically assaulted a resident at the Living Center with no legal justification,’ said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. ‘The Department of Justice will continue to defend the civil rights of Americans and seek justice for those who have suffered unlawful abuses.’
‘Instead of the care and compassion she deserved, this victim suffered abuse and humiliation,’ said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. ‘One of the DOJ’s most sacred duties is seeking justice for our district’s most vulnerable. We will not tolerate this sort of terrible behavior.’
The FBI works closely with federal, state, and local partners to investigate any type of civil rights violation, said Michael Schneider, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Division. ‘The victim was unfairly prevented from receiving the care she was entitled to under the law.’
Tesa Keith faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the civil rights offense.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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