Three employees of a Herkimer County nursing and care facility have been charged with felonies following the choking death of a 34-year-old resident last year.
The arrests follow a yearlong investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office.
“There is no excuse for the kind of shocking and heartless conduct that leads to the deaths of vulnerable nursing home residents,” Attorney General Letitia James said. “My office has zero tolerance for abuse and neglect of those in need of care, and we are determined to deliver justice for all who have been victimized.”
Here's more about the resident's death and the charges the employees are facing.
Nursing home resident dies
A 34-year-old woman who was a resident at The Grand at Mohawk Valley in Ilion died Aug. 23, 2025, according
to the criminal complaint.
She had been transferred to the facility from a rehabilitation hospital three days before her death, according to the Attorney General's Office.
The Grand at Mohawk Valley is a 120-bed facility that offers short-term rehabilitation and long-term care, according to its website.
According to the Attorney General's Office, the resident suffered from a rare genetic condition that caused tumors throughout her body, making it difficult for her to swallow solid food. She also had an eating disorder that caused insatiable hunger and drove her to compulsively eat, according to the office.
Her physical and mental health conditions placed her at high risk of choking and required constant one-on-one supervision throughout the day and night, according to investigators.
Three nursing home employees charged
According to the criminal complaint:
Dietary aide Mary Stocking, 74, of Clinton, Oneida County, is accused of failing to intervene when the resident began choking while eating a meal in the facility's dining hall. Stocking also is accused of filing a false entry in the facility's records related to the woman's death.
Nurse Mara Lasher, 33, of Herkimer, is accused of failing to check on the resident after finding her lying face down on a dining room table.
The facility's administrator, Michael Sutter, 42, of Clinton, allegedly ended the resident's close supervision after her first night at the facility, including during meals, despite knowing she was at high risk of choking, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Stocking was charged with second-degree manslaughter and falsifying business records, both felonies, in connection with the resident's death.
All three employees were charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person or incompetent or physically disabled person, a felony, and willful violation of health laws, a misdemeanor.
They also were charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, a felony.
What happened in the dining hall?
During lunch at The Grand's dining hall Aug. 23, the resident was allegedly left alone and unattended near leftover food from two other residents who had finished eating and left the dining room.
The resident grabbed a meatball from one of the trays, swallowed it and began choking, according to the Attorney General's Office.
The criminal complaint alleges that Stocking saw the resident choking and intentionally refused to call for help. Lasher is accused of entering the dining hall and failing to check on the resident after seeing her slumped face down across a dining room table.
The resident remained in the dining hall for nearly 90 minutes before other employees moved her to her room and called 911, according to the Attorney General's Office. She was pronounced dead in her room.
What's next?
All three were arrested and arraigned Thursday in Herkimer County Court.
If convicted on the top counts, Sutter and Lasher face a maximum sentence of 1⅓ to 4 years in state prison. Stocking faces a maximum sentence of 8⅓ to 25 years in prison, according to the Attorney General's Office.
The charges are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 3 NY nursing home workers charged in resident’s choking death
