Four Brookhaven caregivers have been sentenced on charges they conspired to commit abuse of a vulnerable person, Attorney General Jim Hood said Thursday.

     The four employees of the Lincoln Residential Center, Tierra Allen, Kista Crockett, Abranese Johnson, and Monique Brown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to abuse a vulnerable person before Judge Mike Taylor in Lincoln County Circuit Court. The four were all certified nurse’s assistants, or CNAs.

     Allen, Johnson, and Crockett were sentenced to five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with one year and one day to serve behind bars and the remainder served as post release supervision. Each may pay a $5,000 fine plus court costs, fees, and assessments, and they cannot ever be employed in any position dealing with vulnerable persons or children.

     The three were immediately taken into MDOC custody.

     According to a press release from Hood’s office, Brown entered an “open plea,” meaning she threw herself on the mercy of the court, and Taylor sentenced her to five years of supervised probation, a fine of $1,000 plus court costs, fees, and assessments.

     Brown also may not be employed in any position dealing with vulnerable people or children.

     An argument between two unidentified Lincoln Residential Center residents, which resulted in one hitting the other, started the events, according to Hood.      Hood said the incident angered the four defendants because they were fond of one of the people involved. They persuaded another resident to go and “fight” the other person in the disagreement, and she was pushed and slapped around her room.

     “Fortunately, the victim was not seriously injured, but the intent of the defendants was nothing short of appalling and egregious,” Hood said. “This ruling holds them accountable for their intent and provides that they will never be in a position of such trust again.”