A Starkville man was charged earlier this month by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office with felony abuse of a vulnerable person while working for a direct-health provider in Tupelo.
Cleatonia “Tony” Burns, 34, is accused of striking a 21-year-old patient who is intellectually and physically disabled. At the time of the incident, Burns was employed as a direct care provider at Brandi’s Hope Community Services in Tupelo.
Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation with assistance from the Tupelo Police Department.
Burns was arrested at his home in Starkville with assistance from the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Department, and was booked into the Lee County Jail then released on a $5,000 bond. His arraignment date is set for July 5.
If convicted, Burns could face up to 20 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.