LANCASTER, Pa. — A former caretaker at a Lancaster County assisted living facility pleaded guilty Monday morning to sexually abusing more than a dozen residents over a span of 15 years, beginning in 2007, prosecutors announced.
James Zook, 69, of Mountville, was employed at Faith Friendship Villa in West Hempfield Township when he sexually assaulted the victims, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office. He pleaded guilty to 329 counts of institutional sexual assault, 333 counts of indecent assault, and one count of disorderly conduct before Lancaster County Judge Dennis Reinaker, prosecutors said.
Reinaker accepted the guilty plea and ordered a sexually violent predator assessment and presentence investigation to be completed before the sentencing hearing, which will be held at a later date.
Zook faces a maximum sentence of 3,094 years, according to prosecutors.
Faith Friendship Villa is a non-profit personal care home for individuals with mental illness and other disabilities, prosecutors said.
Assistant District Attorney Amy Muller, who is prosecuting the case, stated the facts from all 14 dockets during the guilty plea hearing, which Zook did not deny when asked by Reinaker.
Zook was originally arrested and charged on Nov. 7, 2022, with one count each of institutional sexual assault and indecent assault, the DA's Office said. That complaint alleged Zook sexually assaulted a Faith Friendship Villa resident weekly or biweekly beginning in late 2020 or early 2021 and ending in August 2022.
After further investigation, additional charges were filed in January before Magisterial District Judge Miles Bixler based on other victims coming forward alleging abuse, according to prosecutors.
West Hempfield Township Police received the first report of sexual abuse on August 14, 2022.
After Zook's initial arrest, 13 additional victims came forward to report abuse, prosecutors said.
All victims participated in interviews with the Lancaster County Children’s Alliance Center and revealed sexual abuse spanning from 2007 until 2022. Zook had been employed at Faith Friendship Villa for approximately 20 years, according to prosecutors.
West Hempfield Township Police Captain George Brace filed charges and attended the guilty plea hearing.
