The incident underscores serious gaps that still persist in Minnesota's system for screening thousands of caregivers and other staffers who care for vulnerable adults and children. By Chris Serres. In , a recovering methamphetamine addict with an extensive criminal history β including a charge for engaging in prostitution β was hired to run one of the largest chemical dependency treatment centers in the state.
The decision would have dire consequences. Early in the morning on Christmas Eve of , the woman awoke in her bedroom to find Biddlecome "petting her face and stroking her hair. Biddlecome, 42, was sentenced to five months in jail for sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult, and now the patient is suing Douglas Place and its parent company for negligent hiring and supervision.
The incident underscores serious gaps that still persist in Minnesota's system for screening tens of thousands of caregivers and other staff who care for vulnerable adults and children at state-licensed treatment centers.
A long-touted plan for automating and improving criminal background checks is still being rolled out statewide nearly three years after the Legislature approved it. A spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Human Services said the rollout is nearly complete, and most providers should be on the new system by the end of this month.
Meanwhile, fines for violations are often minimal. In sworn depositions filed this week in Ramsey County District Court, executives for the treatment center's parent company, Meridian Behavioral Health of New Brighton, admitted they hired Biddlecome as executive director despite knowing about his guilty plea for prostitution.
