HELENA – Prosecutors said a former Montana Developmental Center staffer raped two mentally disabled female patients and tried to rape a third in addition to committing another sexual assault alleged in a charge filed in June.
In court documents filed Monday in state District Court in Boulder, prosecutors asked the court to expand the case against Allen Whetstone, who has pleaded not guilty to the initial charge and was free on bail.
There is no phone listing for Whetstone, and it was not immediately known if he had retained an attorney.
Lee Newspapers State Bureau reported the request for expanded charges came after a four-month investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of patients at the state-run facility.
The proposed charges against Whetstone would include three counts of sexual intercourse without consent, one count of attempted sexual assault and one count of exposing someone to a sexually transmitted disease, authorities said.
A state judge will rule whether to allow the additional charges.
The center in Boulder has about 65 patients and 259 employees. It provides 24-hour care for the severely mentally disabled.
State prosecutors allege that Whetstone had sex with two disabled female patients earlier this year and repeatedly spoke with a third patient about having sex with her.
Authorities first arrested Whetstone in May, after a female patient told other staffers that he had lured her into a room and sexually assaulted her.
Court records filed this week said Whetstone admitted the assault to a center investigator the next day.
State officials said changes made at the center in the wake of the allegations included limiting access to certain buildings, enhanced supervision of staff and patients, and other steps to improve security and safety for patients.