PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon nursing assistant convicted of taking graphic photos of elderly or disabled patients and posting them on Facebook was sentenced to jail and ordered to write an “insightful” apology.
Nai Mai Chao, 26, served eight days in jail after a jury found her guilty of invasion of personal privacy late last month. She was released Friday.
She was accused of taking disturbing photos of patients using bed pans and posting them on her Facebook page. The pictures date to April 2011.
The pictures show at least two patients — one of a patient lying down and another of the back of a patient’s head. The rest of the pictures are of the contents of bed pans.
Her Facebook friends commented on several pictures, expressing disgust or humor about the photos.
Chao surrendered her nursing certificate in January and was fired from the Regency Pacific Nursing and Rehab Center in the Portland suburb of Gresham.
Chao denied taking the photos but admitted posting them.
The charge of invasion of personal privacy is a misdemeanor.
In addition to the jail time, she was ordered to write a 1,000-word apology to a patient that “should be an insightful look at why the defendant did what she did.” If the essay doesn’t meet that standard, the judge ruled, she could be charged with violating her two-year probation.
She is also forbidden for two years from working in a job that would require her to care for children or the elderly.
Chao did not answer a number listed for her in court documents on Wednesday. A court document notes that she does not have a fixed address.
