A caregiver was charged Tuesday, June 24, with rape in the second degree for raping and impregnating a severely developmentally disabled woman at an assisted living facility in Auburn.

Joseph Thurura worked at Integrated Living Services and had been caring for the 44-year-old victim who was physically and mentally disabled.

Prosecutors allege that DNA test results after the victim’s miscarriage led investigators to Thurura, who had worked at the facility since September 2006.

“We entrust caregivers for dependant adults with tremendous responsibility for the health and well-being of the patient,” said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, “and most long-term care workers treat their patients with dignity and respect.”

“The level of abuse of this very vulnerable victim, as alleged in this case, is appalling and it is a crime that deserves a long prison sentence,” he added.

Thurura, 31, is in jail on $250,000 bail. He will be arraigned on July 2 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. If convicted as charged, the sentence range is 78 to 102 months in prison.

Satterberg said his office was reviewing legal options to seek an exceptional sentence.