A Weatherly man accused of assaulting a wheelchair-bound nursing home resident over the course of several weeks was sentenced Monday to two years of probation after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges.

Edward J. Roche, 61, entered a negotiated guilty plea Jan. 29 before Carbon County Judge Joseph J. Matika on charges of abuse of a care-dependent person and indecent assault without consent. Eight other charges, including a felony count of abuse of a care-dependent person, were dismissed as part of the agreement.

Two probationary terms handed down Monday will run concurrently.

As part of his sentence, Roche must submit to a blood sample at the Carbon County Correctional Facility, complete a sexual offender evaluation and perform 100 hours of community service. He must also comply with the requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and have no contact with the victim.

Roche was arrested in September 2024 after a resident at Forest Hills Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Weatherly came forward to report ongoing sexual assaults.

The woman told police that she had been dealing with the abuse for three or four weeks but hadn’t reported it because she didn’t think anyone would believe her, according to arrest papers.

Court papers said Roche entered the woman’s room, opened her shirt and touched her, and also attempted to touch her other private parts. He exposed himself and masturbated in front of her, followed her around the facility, harassed her and attempted to get her to meet him in closed areas of the building, according to court records.

He also pinned her wheelchair inside an elevator using a housekeeping cart and assaulted her. The woman told police she awoke in her bed to find Roche touching her.

Roche was also charged separately with the indecent assault of a co-worker at the same facility. In that case, court papers said Roche ushered the woman into a closet, closed and locked the door, put his arm around her and kissed her twice without her consent.

The defendant told police he kissed the woman and knew it was wrong. He said she never told him that he could kiss her, but she never told him he couldn’t, according to court papers.

The woman told him to stop. They returned to work, and Roche was later called into the administration office and suspended pending the facility’s investigation, court papers said.