Elderly Woman Abused By FL Healthcare Workers, Who Streamed It Online: Police

BREVARD COUNTY, FL — Two Florida healthcare workers are facing charges in Brevard County after authorities said they abused an elderly woman with dementia and livestreamed it online.

Jada Harris, 18, was taken into custody on charges of video voyeurism, exploitation of the elderly, and using an electronic device in the commission of a felony, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said during a Friday news conference. Shy'Tiona Bishop, 20, was also taken into custody and charged with video voyeurism and exploitation of the elderly, Ivey said.

According to authorities, both women were healthcare workers at an unnamed local facility. The patient was under their care when the abuse took place, and Harris livestreamed it online so "their friends could watch it and laugh about it as they mocked this elderly person in her condition," Ivey said.

In the video shared by authorities, Harris can be heard saying, "I'm sorry, yeah. She is embarrassing."

Ivey said that in comments on the video, viewers were discussing "how (the resident) should be dealt with and put in a closet," Ivey said.

"It's hard to imagine there are actually people in our world who would do this to somebody," he added.

According to a WESH report, the incident occurred at Market Street Memory Care in Viera.

According to authorities, the healthcare facility was initially unaware of the abuse, but when officials learned about it, they contacted the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and fired Harris and Bishop.

In a statement provided to WESH, Market Street Memory Care administration said they were "shocked and horrified" to learn about the abuse.

"We take this situation very seriously and took immediate action to terminate the two individuals involved in this incident. The behavior depicted in the video footage livestreamed by these two people is abhorrent and will not be tolerated," the statement read.

Facility administration said the resident had no injuries, WESH reported.

During the news conference, Ivey called the Harris and Bishop "disgusting" and "vile."

"As you might imagine, I am pretty ticked off about this, as you can tell," Ivey said. "This kind of crap just drives me insane."

Harris and Bishop were released from jail on April 8 after posting bonds of $6,000 and $4,000, respectively, according to Law & Crime. Both are scheduled to appear in court next month.