An Ocala man is behind bars after an elderly disabled woman in his care was found at a local motel sitting in urine and feces.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy accompanied an investigator from the Department of Children and Families to the Queen’s Gardens Resort, located at 3340 S Pine Ave., early Thursday morning following an anonymous tip about elderly abuse in a room at the motel.
The deputy and DCF investigator then made contact with 56-year-old William F. Baker, who “was hesitant in opening the room door.” Baker said the victim was sleeping and asked them to come back later, but the deputy saw the woman in a recliner-type chair with her eyes open, a sheriff’s office report states.
The deputy reported a strong odor of feces and urine coming from the room. He also observed a brown substance on the victim’s body, including her hands, fingers and legs, and on the floor that appeared to be feces. She appeared unable to move due to only moving her eyes, so the deputy called for paramedics to respond, the report says.
Baker told the deputy that he was getting ready to clean the victim and take her to an area hospital. He said she had defecated and urinated on herself and had ripped out her catheter. He also said he hadn’t yet assisted her with cleaning herself because she wanted to rest, the report says.
A short time later, paramedics arrived and immediately removed the woman from the recliner to transport her to AdventHealth Ocala. The paramedics told the deputy the woman needed immediate further assistance and “what they observed on the victim is a clear sign of neglect,” the report says.
A nurse at the hospital told the deputy the woman is a frequent patient and she has told her in the past that she was being neglected and had offered assistance. She said this was the worst condition she had seen the victim in, citing her wearing a three-day-old dirty Depends adult diaper.
The nurse also cited issues with the woman’s catheter and said she had a urinary tract infection. She said there was a chance the victim could become septic due to her living conditions. And she said the victim, who had a stroke in the past and suffers from paralysis, claimed that Baker had struck her, the report says.
The victim told the deputy she has a family member who lives in Titusville, but all others reside out of state. She said she is wheelchair-dependent and depends on Baker when she needs to use the restroom or bath, but he “tells her no and curses at her,” the report says.
The woman said she hadn’t bathed in about three days and Baker claims she “makes him work too much.” She said Baker doesn’t want to lift her because he claims she weighs too much and it hurts his chest. She also said she feels like she is being neglected because Baker fails to properly care for her, the report says.
The woman also claimed there was a history of violence between Baker and her, citing a recent incident where he allegedly told her to stop “talking (expletive deleted)” and hit her with an open hand near her mouth. She claimed in the past he also hit her chair with a silver bat, cursed at her and hit her with a closed fist in her left eye and in the mouth, the report says.
After speaking to a neighbor who reported hearing Baker scream at the victim and a housekeeper who said he refused to allow her to clean the room after she saw feces on the floor and smelled the odor of urine, Baker was taken into custody. He said he was aware the woman was sitting in feces, urine and blood and admitted that he failed to clean her and provide assistance. He also said he was going to call for help and was aware there were options available to assist him, but he hadn’t taken advantage of those, the report says.
Baker told the deputy that he and the woman have had verbal altercations, but he denied physically abusing her. He said he has been “stressed out” with the woman and providing care for her “has been too much” and he needed help, the report says.
After Baker was placed in handcuffs, the deputy located at silver tobacco pipe in his right shorts pocket that Baker admitted using to smoke “weed.” A field-test on the residue in the pipe tested positive for marijuana, the report says.
Baker was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with two counts of abuse of an elderly or disabled adult and possession of drug equipment. He was being held on $11,000 bond and is due in court Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charges.