BLUFFTON -- A former nursing home employee is wanted on an elder abuse charge after allegedly throwing an 89-year-old woman out of a room and into the hallway Dec. 31, 2006.

The victim flew between 3 and 5 feet before landing on the floor at Carolina House of Bluffton, 800 Fording Island Road, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's report released only this week. Another employee helped the woman into a wheelchair, while the suspect left the room smiling and giggling as if it were a joke, the report stated. The investigation was delayed by a lack of cooperating witnesses and the fact that the suspect could not be found.

Saffiyah Scott, 28, is wanted for abuse of a vulnerable adult, a felony that carries up to five years in prison. The resident assistant was fired by the nursing home Jan. 26, 2007, after an internal investigation, a company spokeswoman said.

Sgt. Prince Norton, the detective assigned to the case, hasn't been able to locate Scott, whose last known address was in Ridgeland.

The assault allegedly occurred when the victim was in another resident's room at bedtime. It is thought that Scott was frustrated and angry because the victim "got into her face," the report stated.

The victim has since transferred to another facility. Her family couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.

The incident came to light earlier this year when Carolina House officials reported allegations of abuse to an ombudsman with the Lowcountry Council of Governments, who, in turn, contacted the Sheriff's Office.

"It's our company's policy always to operate in the best interest of the resident," said Holly Botsford, spokeswoman for Brookdale Senior Living, owner of Carolina House. "Once we found out about this, we followed all of our company policies and protocols and reported it to our licensing agency."

None of the employees working the night shift when the incident occurred still work at the nursing home. Three were fired as a result of the incident and a fourth was fired for other reasons, according to the report.