Caregiver sexually abused wheelchair-bound woman in his care with vape-style device: cops

WESTFIELD, N.J. (WKRC) — A caregiver was accused of sexually abusing a woman in his care with a “vape style device” while she was incapacitated and in a wheelchair.

The woman contacted police on January 18 after she was sent multiple videos on the app TeleGuard by an unidentified person that showed her caretaker, 41-year-old Michael W. Smith, sexually abusing her, according to reporting from NJ 101.5.

Michael W. Smith (Photo: Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office)

The instances of sexual assault allegedly occurred between December 2023 and June 2024 while the woman was wheelchair-bound and unable to take care of herself due to an accident, the outlet reported.

Smith brought the woman to a Ramada Inn hotel on multiple occasions and sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated, the Daily Voice reported.

Smith allegedly sodomized the victim with a “vape style device,” along with other forced sexual acts.

Authorities arrested Smith on January 29 and charged him with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, according to a news release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.