Caregiver Accused of Choking Elderly Client in Tolland

TOLLAND, CT – A woman who is described in an arrest warrant as the primary caregiver to a Tolland Alzheimer's patient has been charged with first-degree assault on a elderly person, police said.

The victim is a 70-year-old woman who lives on Old Post Road, according to an arrest warrant. The caregiver, 52-year-old Christine Taft, was also charged with second-degree strangulation, according to a warrant.

The victim was taken to Rockville General Hospital on Jan. 16, and an initial claim was that the elderly woman had fallen, according to a warrant.

Hospital staffers said her injuries were not consistent with a fall, according to a warrant.

The woman had bruises in her face and there were injuries to her throat that resembled finger marks, according to a warrant.

Taft claimed she reached out and caught the woman by her neck to prevent a fall, according to a warrant.

Taft appeared in court on Friday after being charged on a warrant. She posted a $50,000 bond and is due back before a judge on Wednesday, according to judicial system records.

Photo Credit: CSP