Gap in rules for care-facility safety come to light after attack

SEATTLE -- A brutal crime, but could it be prevented?

The King County Sheriff's Office says Louis Arbee broke into an elderly woman's room at the Falcon Ridge assisted living facility a week ago.

Court documents accuse him of removing a screen from a window and entering her room to attack

The woman is recovering.



Falcon Ridge didn't want to talk Thursday, but we wanted to see if Washington is doing enough to make care homes protect seniors.

The Department of Social and Health Services pointed to state law -- but there are no rules for window coverings, locks, or accessibility at assisted living facilities, only that there have to be windows.

Yet there are rules---down to the inch---about how wide beds can be.

Same gaps for surveillance cameras that could have helped end the search for Arbee.

Those cameras are only allowed to be focused on entrances and exits or areas where residents can't go like medication prep areas.

The state does not provide rules or guides on any security presence on site.

How to see inspection reports and violations for nursing homes:

-Use this link and search by city for assisted living facilities.

-Use this link and search by name or city for nursing homes.

Click on "reports" if the location has been cited.