A home health care aide has been charged with raping a teenaged girl. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says it happened inside the girl’s Lewis Center home.
The accuser's family hired 31-year-old Abulay Nian two weeks ago to provide home health care. Sheriff's investigators say on Saturday, he forced himself sexually on the 17-year-old sister of his patient.
Court records obtained by 10TV say Nian asked the 17-year-old for a hug while in her bedroom. When she complied, she says he inserted his hand down the front of her leggings, then removed her leggings and touched her inappropriately, despite her repeatedly telling him "no". The girl says he then left the home and she reported what happened to her mother, who was downstairs at the time.
Abulay Nian
Investigators say after the incident, Nian sent the teen a text message "acknowledging that he made her feel uncomfortable and that he was sorry."
Nian is employed by Atlas Home Health Care in Columbus. Staff there say he's worked for them for about a month with no complaints. They say state and local background checks on him came back clean.
But prosecutors say Nian has convictions out of New York and North Carolina on charges including assault on a female, interfering with emergency communication, and possession of forged instruments. In a criminal complaint filed with his arrest, the Sheriff's Office calls Nian "a repeat violent offender."
On Tuesday in court Nian said only this: "I just had the job for two weeks ago. I was trying to get some things together so I can take care of my daughter, Your Honor. I would like to go back to her and do better things for her."
Nian declined comment, as did the family of his accuser. He is at the Delaware County Jail held on $100,000 bond.
A 10TV investigation earlier this year found that the state requires background checks, but leaves it to the individual providers to decide how stringent those checks will be.
Nian's employer told 10TV they were unaware of his out of state convictions, saying they aren't required to look outside of Ohio.