The following are summaries of some of the reports of abuse against people with with disabilities that have been in the news recently.
Norton Shores, Michigan (January 26) - A 51-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with abuse after allegedly punching her disabled son in the head in a doctor's office waiting room. More here ...
Raleigh, North Carolina (January 21) - An employee at a state home for the people with developmental disabilities was arrested and charged with abuse following the restraint of a teenage resident that resulted in “contusions and abrasions to the left and right sides of his face and behind his ear.” Full story here ...
Bronson, Florida (January 15) - Three people (two males, one female) employed to take care of a 51-year-old man with developmental disabilities were charged with neglecting him. The man, who was allegedly handcuffed or tied to a post inside the residence over the past year, was hospitalized with lacerations to both wrists from being handcuffed and severe sores on his buttocks that were infected, bruising and lacerations on his ribs, and a contusion on his left eye. More here ...
Santa Rosa, California (January 15) - A 44 year-old man was sentenced to three and a half years in jail for abusing a 67 year-old woman he was employed to care for. Reportedly, the man had left the woman, who is paralyzed down the left hand side of her body, without access to a motorized wheelchair, and she therefore was unable to move from the couch. Due to this neglect, she sustained extremely inflamed, open sores throughout her body and was treated at hospital. Full story here...
DeLand, Florida (January 14) - A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged with felony child abuse for choking his girlfriend's 4-year-old son, who has disabilities that prevent him from using his upper arms. Full story here ...
Coats, North Carolina (January 9): A 49-year-old woman was arrested and charged with neglect for allegedy abandoning her husband, who is disabled and cannot care for himself, leaving him alone for days without food or medicine. Full story here ...
