On August 12th of 2023, Michiana Behavioral Health Center admitted an individual who displayed signs of psychosis and occasionally made gestures that suggested potential violence.

Note: The account of these assaults are based on my own recollections and on descriptions given to me afterward by staff who witnessed my assaults first hand, as I do not clearly remember some parts of my own assaults.

• First Assault:
I was taking over the Flex Hall from the 2nd Shift Mental Health Technician, when the assailant became convinced that he had been kidnapped.  He began pacing, threatening us, and posturing aggressively toward myself and my co-worker.  I then stepped toward him, and he immediately assaulted me - punching me.  According to the other Mental Health Technician, most of his blows were directed at my head.

After my first assault, the assailant attempted to kick open the doors leading from the Flex Hall to the Acute Adolescent Unit near the nurse's station.  He then moved to an exterior door and tried several times to kick it open.  When that failed, he threatened another female staff member and demanded she open it.

• Second Assault:
When the assailant moved toward that staff member, I feared he was about to attack her, so I stepped towards him again.  He assaulted me a second time, again striking me multiple times in the head.  I attempted to take hold of him to bring him to the ground, but my memory of this moment is unclear; I failed, and I was either pushed or punched to the ground.

• Third Assault:
By the time I had gotten up, the assailant was posturing toward other female staff members.  I stepped towards him again, and he assaulted me a third time.  According to staff, most of the blows were directed at my head, again.  I attempted to restrain him a second time and was successful.  Once I got him to the ground, additional staff assisted by applying a safe physical hold, while a nurse prepared and administered an injection.

I remember counting each time the assailant stepped on a toe I had previously injured - which may have possibly been broken before the assaults - the assailant stepped on my toe twice.

• Staff Response During the Incident:
During the restraint, one staff member stated she had called the police but was informed by law enforcement that they were no longer allowed on the premises to assist in policing violent situations, but would remain available to capture the assailant in the event he escaped from the property - a change she attributed to a protocol implemented after the arrival of the facility's new Chief Executive Officer, Brian Gray.

Another staff member checked to make sure I was not applying excessive pressure on the assailant during the hold; I explained how I was supporting my own weight on my arms to avoid injury to him.

Because the first injection did not calm him sufficiently, a second injection was administered.  Eventually, the amount of drugs administered to him, took effect, and multiple technicians had to carry him back to his room.  I can not remember whether I assisted in carrying the assailant back to his room.

After the assailant was placed back in his room - we realized that someone on another shift had returned his shoes to him, so we took his shoes off, again, and placed them back in storage, and gave him slip-on footwear.  This may have been important as many staff members speculated that prior to the return of his shoes, he was unwilling to attempt kicking open the Flex Hall doors.

On August 17th of 2023 around 10:20 PM, I was called into the Human Resources office to meet with the Director of Human Resources, Becky Nowicki, and the Director of Nursing, Brandi Conliff ( at that time Brandi Richards).  During that meeting, the Director of Human Resources asked whether I had been hit in the face.  I explained that I did not clearly remember much of the assaults, possibly due to adrenaline, and was unsure if I had sustained a facial injury.

The Director of Nursing acknowledged that she had seen the video footage of my assaults and told me that I had done a great job in managing the situation.  She also noted that on the video it looked as though I could have been seriously injured and asked if I was "okay."  I'm not a doctor, but I told them both, that as far as I could tell, I'm okay, with the exception that he stepped on my broken toe, twice.  My toe that may have already been broken, causing further injury.

Despite this information, neither the Director of Nursing nor the Director of Human Resources took any steps to have my toe evaluated or to ensure that I was not experiencing head trauma or other injuries from being punched multiple times in the head.  No medical assessment was offered, and no medical follow-up assessment was conducted to verify my well-being.

Apparently, according to the Director of Nursing and the Director of Human Resources at Michiana Behavioral Health Center, (I) after being punched in the head multiple times with only having a vague memory of those assaults, am totally qualified to perform a complete self-assessment of my own well-being with absolute authority, having no medical assessments or follow-up assessments by a qualified doctor required.

The Director of Nursing and the Director of Human Resources at Michiana Behavioral Health Center, should have at least mandated a qualified doctor assess my well-being to determine whether or not the assailant committed a misdemeanor or felony battery against me.  However, neither the Director of Nursing nor the Director of Human Resources cared to pursue any action that would obtain more information to assist in determining - to what extent - the assailant committed a crime against me.

After the assaults, I began asking my supervisors, shift lead, and other staff what could be done to address the assaults.  I was reminded that I could not share any information about the assailant involved, as doing so could be considered a HIPAA violation.  This guidance discouraged me and other staff from contacting law enforcement or filing an assault report independently.  Michiana Behavioral Health Center lead the staff to believe that only the facility could pursue any course of legal action regarding the incident - but no action was taken.

I continued to ask for guidance from supervisors and staff, but no solutions were offered.  The only suggestion that I received was that it might be time to begin preparing my resume to find other employment.

Finding no support, I made a visit to the office of United States House of Representative Rudy Yakim in Mishawaka, and explained my situation to his aid and asked for any assistance or advice that they might be able to offer.

Rudy Yakim's office informed me that because the matter was an Indiana state matter, and I should contact my Indiana state Representative.  So I began to write a letter to Indiana State Representative Jack Jordan to seek advice on how to handle this situation.

The day after one of my 3rd Shift Supervisors, Cara Masterson, became aware of the letter I was writing to Indiana State Representative Jack Jordan, she made (up) a sexual harassment claim against me.  Following this, the administration placed me on leave for a few weeks while they "investigated" the allegation.

The time I spent on leave allowed me to reflect and realize how negatively my employment at Michiana Behavioral Health Center had affected me personally and professionally.

When I was called back by the Director of Human Resources and the Director of Nursing to be informed that I was being terminated, it was not for the unfounded sexual harassment claim, which they had used to place me on leave.

Instead, I was let go for reasons unrelated to my performance, including reading a self-help book written by a doctor and a reverend that I had read while on the unit after all the patients had gone to sleep and for the letter I had written to my supervisor and shift lead explaining why I read the self-help book.

Despite this excuse to terminate my employment, I was happy to leave Michiana Behavioral Health Center and move forward.