An Ulster County Judge has found Sullivan County in contempt of a court injunction intended to prevent the removal of residents from a care center.
Ulster County Judge Kevin Bryant said in a decision published Friday, that the evidence shows county officials “intentionally took numerous actions” to transfer residents out of the Sullivan County Adult Care Center at Sunset Lake, which was home to 93 senior residents in August. According to court documents, no residents remain.
Bryant said that the Court “rejects the County's claim that the residents voluntarily left the facility.”
The judge said county officials took steps to prevent information from reaching senior residents about the injunction and temporary restraining order and that even law enforcement was used to prevent routine visits.
Bryant said testimony from county officials, including County Manager Joshua Potosek, was “generally disjointed, confusing, evasive and self-serving.”
Potential sanctions and penalties will be addressed in court on Nov. 24.
