Trial date set in assisted living death

Madison Twp. woman accused of causing resident’s death

The woman accused of causing the death of a Madison Township assisted living facility resident is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 8 in Lake County Common Pleas Court.

Alice Ramsey, 55, of Madison Township, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and three counts of patient abuse.

She was arrested earlier this year following

the Jan. 3 death of Mary Srpan, an 85-year-old resident of Hubbard Road Meadow.

Ramsey was the administer of the facility, which permanently lost its license March 30.

According to officials with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services:

The resident was in her room banging to be heard on Jan. 3. Visitors alerted staff, who tried to get into her room unsuccessfully and had to return to get keys. When employees returned, they saw the

victim’s head wedged in a nightstand. Visitors helped free the woman, who later died at an emergency room.

ODMHAS officials said the facility had previous incidents of neglect, failure to report deaths and falls, and violations of hiring regulations.

Three of the four rooms furnished with bathtubs did not have the required nonskid surfaces in the tubs, according to an ODMHAS investigation.

In addition, required background checks were not completed on all employees, and there was no documentation verifying compliance with staff training requirements.

The ODMHAS investigation also found that residents were not given keys to their rooms, which had deadbolts that can be opened from the inside. This presented a danger of a resident with dementia accidentally locking themselves in their room — or being locked in the room by staff against their will.

If convicted, she faces up to 18 1/2 years in prison.

The case has been assigned to Judge Eugene A. Lucci.

Defense attorney William Bobulsky was reportedly in court Nov. 17 and not immediately available for comment.

Ramsey remains free on a personal bond.