July 13, 2010, 05:00:00AM. By Charles Benson

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Youngstown, OH: A former worker at an Ohio assisted living facility who was accused of nursing home abuse has withdrawn her guilty plea and will now stand trial.

The charges against Iindia Weatherly stem from an incident during which an 87-year-old man fell and broke his hip three weeks before his death last summer. The Youngstown Vindicator reports that 20-year-old Weatherly is facing a fourth-degree felony charge, which carries a potential six to 18 month prison sentence.

Weatherly admitted to the court that she had been careless but denied that she intended to hurt the alleged victim, Donald Oliver.

Witnesses say that Weatherly pushed a kitchen door open in the direction of Oliver, causing him to fall, and then punched the elderly man while he was on the ground, according to J. Michael Thompson, an assistant county prosecutor.

Oliver's death was ruled a homocide by the coroner, but prosecutors can not prove that the alleged incident directly caused Oliver's death.

Weatherly maintains that she and Oliver both pulled on opposite sides of the door, causing it to swing out towards Oliver and knock him down.

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