Woman accused of abusing 'low-functioning' group home resident with 'multiple disabilities'

RACINE -- A Racine group home employee, out on signature bond, is accused of abusing a resident in an incident that was caught on camera.

Yolanda Williams, 48, faces the following charges:

According to a criminal complaint, on Friday afternoon, March 29, around 2:15 p.m., police responded to a residence on 13th Street in Racine for a welfare check after a witness advised he saw two group home workers pouring some liquid from a container onto a client. Police made contact with a man who was "visibly shaking," and advised he'd just watched a video on Facebook of two group home workers abusing a client.

Police took a look at the video, which showed two women having a conversation at the top of the steps in front of a home on 13th Street near Bluff Avenue -- both wearing hospital scrubs. The video showed a man who appeared to be on his knees. Soon, a third woman appeared in the video -- later identified as Yolanda Williams. The complaint indicated she was seen becoming aggressive toward the man, yelling, "Get up!" She was seen in the video hitting the man and pouring liquid on him.

The complaint said the man was seen in the video putting his arm out as though he was seeking help from Williams, who slapped and pushed his arm. According to the complaint, Williams was seen in the video pouring some sort of liquid on the back of the man's head, while it was clear the man was having difficulty getting up. She then lifted the man's shirt and poured the liquid on his back. Williams then splashed the liquid on the side of the man's face, while continuing to yell at him to, "Get up!"

At one point, the complaint said Williams and another woman were seen dragging the man for several feet before taking him by each arm and pulling him to his feet.

When officers responded to the home, they learned the man "was extremely low-functioning and suffers from multiple disabilities."

The complaint said the owner of the group home advised officers she had seen the video, and identified the women involved -- including Williams. The criminal complaint said Williams was an employee of the Love of Caring LLC group home.

According to the complaint, Williams was out on $1,000 signature bond at the time -- with an order to commit no further crimes.

Williams made her initial appearance in court on May 22, after a warrant was issued for her arrest on April 17. She was ordered to have no contact with Love of Caring. Cash bond was set at $500, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 30.

In July 2018, Williams was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The $1,000 signature bond was set in August 2018. She's due in court for a status conference in that case on July 16.