Two owners and two employees of a nursing home near Sacramento, CA, were arrested this week in connection with a fire last year that killed three residents.
All four were charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter. The defendants allegedly placed a locked wheelchair in front of the door to one resident’s room to prevent her from leaving, according to the charges. The other two victims were in beds with high rails, which were used as restraints to prevent the residents from getting out on their own.
Those being held by authorities include Mihaela Costea and Teodor Costea, the owners of Home Place 1. Also charged were Virgil Popa and Ligia Popa, who were live-in employees of the Citrus Heights facility. All were being held on $1 million bond, and the four facilities the Costeas operated have been shut down.
