Morristown Man Charged With Sexual Assault At Senior Care Center

MORRISTOWN, NJ – A 61-year-old Morristown man was arrested on Saturday and charged with second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact involving an 82-year-old resident of the Arbor Terrace Living Facility in Morris Plains.

Anthony Ligon, who works as a maintenance technician at the facility, has been charged after Morris County prosecutors say that he assaulted the female resident on Friday. Ligon is currently being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility.

In a statement, the facility said that Ligon has been suspended pending the investigation.

According to the warrant complaint obtained by The Daily Record, Ligon was seen by another employee making her nightly rounds on top of the woman - a dementia patient at the facility - with his pants and underwear completely off.

Ligon told the employee not to tell anyone what she had witnessed because he was fearful he would lose his job. According to investigators, the woman, who also suffers from Alzheimer's, told police she was raped and was taken to a local medical facility after complaining of vaginal pain.

According to the report, police stopped Ligon as he was leaving the facility and he appeared nervous. He told investigators that he had entered the woman's apartment to fix a sink, said the woman was naked and placed a blanket over her.

The newspaper reported that as of Monday, Ligon had not been arraigned.

"At Arbor Terrace Morris Plains, we take any allegation of misconduct seriously and do not tolerate any form of abuse," Arbor Terrance Morris Plains said in the statement that was issued over the weekend.

"While we cannot provide details on the alleged incident because there is an ongoing investigation, what we can tell you is that we acted swiftly, immediately calling the police, notifying the resident’s family, suspending the staff member in question and reporting the allegation to the New Jersey Department of Health. We are working with local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation.

"Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of the residents entrusted to our care - they are our family."

Anyone with information relating to this incident is encouraged to call the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office at 973-285-6200 or the Morris Plains Police Department at 973-538-2284.