East Lyme ― An aide at the Crescent Point at Niantic assisted living and memory care facility turned himself in to police Friday on elder abuse charges after doorbell camera footage showed him forcibly putting a resident to bed.

John B. Blaise, 44, of 156 Great Neck Road, Waterford, was charged with second-degree abuse of persons and third-degree assault of an elderly person.

The affidavit for his arrest warrant states the camera, installed by the 87-year-old victim’s daughter after unexplained injuries, caught Blaise in the overnight hours of Nov. 15, 2023, escorting her back to her bed.

Police said the victim was sitting down when Blais pushed her onto the mattress, raised her right leg to begin placing it on the bed, and then performed an “open handed back slap” to her right hip that could be heard on the camera footage. She appeared to yell in pain before Blais abruptly pulled her right and then left leg onto the bed and removed her shoes.

The woman hours later was taken to the hospital for a fall that was not captured on the doorbell camera, according to the affidavit. She was diagnosed with a broken right hip but was deemed too high risk to withstand surgery due to conditions including dementia and fluid in her lungs. She was taken to a nursing facility in Mystic to receive end-of-life care.

Police were informed of her death on Nov. 21. An autopsy report this month from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner showed the woman had died from complications of blunt trauma to her right lower extremity with a femur fracture. It was not the result of Blais striking her, according to police.

Blais in a November interview at the police department denied any abuse until he was shown the video footage. He said he did not remember slapping the woman and could not explain why it happened. Visibly distraught, he told police multiple times he did not want the victim to fall or get hurt. Blais admitted to not getting much sleep due to a work schedule that included two jobs.

Blais was described by Mind and Memory unit director Carol Quelle as a reliable employee and one of the lead aides, according to the affidavit. He told police he worked there for almost four years.

Benchmark Senior Living Senior Director of Corporate Communications said Blais was placed on leave as soon as staff members learned of the allegations and was subsequently fired.

He said the company is deeply troubled by the charges.

“Abuse or neglect of any kind is not tolerated by our community,” he said.

Staff members are working closely with the East Lyme Police Department and the Connecticut Department of Public Health, he said.