ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Caregiver Allegedly Used Stun Gun On Dependent Adults
Video Caught The Abuse
Licensing Bureau Opens Investigation
Intentional abuse or restraints, including chemical restraints by drugs, are crimes and actionable forms of abuse of elders and dependent adults. See Penal Code § 368 and Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15610.63 (definition of physical abuse and forms of illegal restraint). A recent case, discussed below, illustrates just how terrifying the intentional physical abuse of elder and dependent adults can be.[1] Victims of such abuse and their families can hold all persona responsible for such abuse accountable for their actions, including staff members, supervisors, administrators, and the owners of facilities where the abuse occurs. The Contra Costa County elder and dependent adult abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent injured seniors and dependent adults in Contra Costa County and throughout the Bay Area and the State of California. We can be reached at (415)441-8669. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267).
Reported Case
In the recent arrest in a dependent adult abuse case, a caregiver at a care facility for dependent adults was arrested for allegedly using a stun gun to shock three patients with intellectual disabilities. The victims were women between the ages of 30 and 50 living at a residential care facility. According to police, all three victims have cognitive disabilities and the arrested individual was one of the caregivers assigned to look after them. Another employee at the shared two videos with the facility’s administrators, in which the caregiver could allegedly be seen using a stun gun on patients who were refusing to comply with his instructions. In the footage, a bright arc of electricity passes between the two prongs of the weapon just before the suspect presses it against the patients’ skin, and they visibly react in pain. “Those metal tips get very hot as electricity passes through them,” a police spokesperson said. “It’s typical for the stun guns we (police) use to leave a mark for a few days after making contact with skin for three or five seconds.” The facility’s administrators reviewed the videos, and then found three patients with marks on their body that appeared to be burns left by a stun gun, police said. The suspect was booked on suspicion of crimes against a dependent adult and assault. He was later released after posting bail, police said. The California Home Care Services Bureau, the state agency responsible for licensing caregivers, has also opened an investigation into the matter, according to the authorities.
Evans Law Firm Represents Victims of Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse
If you have any suspicions whatsoever that your loved one is suffering any kind of abuse, call us. Always act on your instincts. We know how to investigate cases of physical and financial abuse and how to pursue all remedies available under California law. We will pursue any individual responsibility for the abuse as well as their supervising employers, agencies, and owners. In cases of financial abuse remedies include getting stolen money back (restitution), undoing any trusts or contracts the abuser may have fraudulently created (rescissions), damages for pain and suffering, punitive damages where available and an award of the attorneys’ fees and expenses you’ve incurred in bringing your case.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans can be reached at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267). Ingrid will pursue all remedies available to elder and dependent adult abuse victims and their families including the recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs for bringing suit in certain circumstances. Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15657.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. is not involved in the case in any way.
