A 53-year-old former home-health care worker who admitted to sexually gratifying a mentally disabled client pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge after state doctors reported she had mental problems of her own.
Merriam Carmical of Jacksonville had been charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault. Prosecutors dropped those charges in exchange for her guilty plea to harassment. She will serve a year on probation.
She has been examined twice over a 10-month span by state doctors, and on each occasion they found that she was competent for trial but also reported that she had demonstrated symptoms of autism with poor communication skills and difficulty in social interactions. One doctor described her demeanor as "notably odd and socially awkward."
Reportedly earning $8.50 per hour, Carmical was a part-time caregiver for Absolute Care Management in May 2016 when her supervisor, Patricia Freeman, reported her to Jacksonville police. Carmical had informed Freeman about what was going on because Carmical felt uncomfortable with the situation.
Questioned by investigators, she said she masturbated the 21-year-old man, who also has multiple sclerosis, three times that month, each time at his request, while applying lotion after bathing him.
Miller told police that she believed what she was doing was wrong but felt that the man had put her in an awkward situation so she did what he asked, according to an arrest report.
The man has the mental capacity of a 14-year-old boy, court filings show. Authorities said he is incapable of consenting to sexual contact because of his limited mental capacity.
Metro on 03/08/2018