Police: staff member hit man with croquet mallet

MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) - A staff person at a group home in Muncie is facing a felony battery charge.

Police say 44 year old Theressa Johnson of Muncie hit a resident at a group home for developmentally disabled people with a croquet mallet.

Neighbors saw it happen in the yard of the home at 4208 W. Garver Street in Muncie on July 21, and they called the administrative offices of ResCare. Court documents show ResCare supervisors called police.

David Clark lives across the street, and says he saw part of the situation that day.

“I heard some yelling, so I rolled down my window, and I could see these two women running after a young man,” Clark said.

Police say one of those women was Theressa Johnson.

“They knocked him down over here by the house. One of the ladies was trying to throw a sheet over him, while the other one was swinging a croquet mallet at him. I didn’t see him hit her, but I know they threw him on the ground, and got him covered up.”

Clarksays he didn’t see Johnson hit the developmentally disabled resident, but another neighbor did.

Court documents show the man had three bruises on his back, with a circular pattern in the center. The Muncie police report shows that the victim “was asked how he received these bruises, and [the victim] stated that Theressa had hit him with a stick.”

According to court documents, the facility did an internal investigation after calling police.

Johnson denied any wrongdoing. Another staff member eventually told them "Theressa was the one who caused the injury."

They had no comment when we knocked there.

Sharon Dalton lives nearby, and said she’s never seen anything like this at the home. “I’ve never seen them mistreat anybody. They're always very kind and gentle with the people,” Dalton said.

McKensie Monroe also lives nearby. “It’s heartbreaking. I feel the folks who live over there have a hard enough time with the issues they've been given,” she said.

We learned from police Johnson no longer works at the group home.

She is facing a preliminary charge of felony battery, involving a person who is mentally disabled. She posted bond, and she didn’t respond to our requests for comment.

Johnson has at least one previous conviction of conversion in Delaware County.