Man Witnessed Mother's Assault On Webcam

MARCH 10--An employee of an assisted living facility in Minnesota has been charged with sexually assaulting an 83-year-old Alzheimer's patient, an attack that was witnessed remotely by the victim’s son, who had set up webcams in his mother’s room so that he could monitor her well-being.

Investigators allege that Olabamidele Bewaji, 52, raped the victim Monday evening in the woman’s room at the The Pillars of Mankato in Mankato, a city about 80 miles from Minneapolis.

Bewaji, seen at right, has been charged with a pair of felonies for allegedly having sexual contact with a “mentally impaired, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless” individual.

According to a probable cause statement, the victim’s son told police that he received an alert Monday evening from the streaming camera in his mother’s bedroom, one of several that are “typically used to check on [the woman] and observe that she is well.”

Prompted by the alert, the man reviewed footage from his mother’s room and saw Bewaji undress the victim and sexually assault her. The attack ended when the victim’s son “spoke to Bewaji through the speaker function of the CCTV camera telling him to stop.” Bewaji, cops say, “then slowly stopped assaulting Victim 1 and left the apartment.”

Many webcams can forward alerts upon detecting sound, motion, and even unfamiliar faces.

After being contacted by the victim’s son, cops questioned Bewaji, who reportedly confessed to the assault and admitted knowing that the woman was a “vulnerable adult.” Bewaji also admitted to raping the woman last month, cops noted.

Despite these admissions, Bewaji claimed that it was the victim who “initiated the sexual assault.” Police described the victim--who had no pajama bottoms or underwear on--as “confused” and unable to recall if she had been assaulted. (2 pages)