Alex Samaniego (Photo: Bristol, VA, Police Department)

A former certified nursing assistant in Virginia was sentenced to a year in prison and a year of probation after pleading guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of abuse of an incapacitated adult, a 94-year-old resident at the senior living community where he worked.

Eight months of the prison time was suspended for Alex Samaniego, who originally was charged with a felony, unlawful wounding, according to Bristol, VA, General District Court records.

Samaniego was arrested Jan. 13. As McKnight’s Senior Living previously reported, he was working at Brookdale Bristol in Bristol, VA, when family members of the female resident noticed unexplained injuries, according to the Bristol Police Department.

The family hid a video camera in the woman’s room and called police after reportedly seeing Samaniego hit the resident. The family also shared the recording with police. The woman was hospitalized with bruises and abrasions, according to authorities.

In a statement provided to McKnight’s Senior Living after his arrest, a spokeswoman said that the company was cooperating with local police. “Having the trust our residents and their families is extremely important to us,” she said. “We take the safety and wellbeing of our residents very seriously. This type of conduct or behavior by an associate is never tolerated under any circumstances.”