WP man charged with beating elderly relative

BY KIMBERLY LANGSTON

A West Plains man with a decades-long criminal history has been charged after allegedly striking an elderly family member with a baseball bat and preventing in-home healthcare workers from visiting the man's home.

Timmy L. Frazier, 43, is charged with first-degree domestic assault resulting in serious physical injury, a Class A felony, and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action. Court records show the charges were filed May 1 by Howell County Assistant Prosecutor Rizwan Ahad, and a warrant with a $50,000 cash or corporate surety bond issued the day prior was served May 7.

Frazier, who remains in custody, pleaded not guilty during arraignment held May 10 in the courtroom of Associate 37th Circuit Judge R. David Ray and is next set to appear in court on Friday for a preliminary hearing with Public Defender Jack Paisley as his representation, the records show.

According to documents filed with the court, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Investigator Richard Rhoads said an investigation into Frazier began after three hotline calls were placed regarding the victim's well-being between March 20 and April 10, alleging physical abuse, financial exploitation and medical neglect.

Frazier was reportedly living with the victim at the time of the incidents, who has since been placed in a nursing home out of concern for lack of proper care.

On April 4, Rhoads stated, he assisted an adult protective services specialist with a visit to the victim's home and Frazier reportedly admitted he prevented in-home healthcare workers from visiting and had written a check on the victim's account to pay for having the victim's vehicle towed.

During the investigation, the reportedly victim said Frazier was not given permission to write checks on his account or drive his vehicle. On April 10, Rhoads spoke with another family member of the victim who said he had bruises "all over" from Frazier striking him with a baseball bat, his head had been shaved, and Frazier had written several checks on his account.

A week later, Rhoads interviewed the victim at the nursing home and was advised by him that Frazier and some of his friends had shaved his head against his will while laughing and "going on" the whole time, and he wanted to fight back but knew he couldn't because of his age and physical condition.

He was reportedly reluctant to talk about how he came to be bruised but stated Frazier had put the bruises on him while he was mad at him, the investigator said.

Medical records reviewed as part of the investigation showed the victim had told staff at a local clinic Frazier caused the bruising by striking him with a bat, and that, for about a month, he hadn't taken medications he’d been prescribed for the prevention of heart attacks, strokes, and heart damage because they were withheld by Frazier.

The victim had open heart surgery about 20 years ago and his health showed an overall decline, memory problems and periods of confusion, Rhoads noted in his report.

The investigator further stated he learned through interviews and financial records Frazier had written checks, used the victim's charge card to make purchases, and taken coins, with a combined value of about $99, adding future charge card statements were expected to show other unauthorized purchases by Frazier.

FRAZIER’S BACKGROUND

In 2000, Frazier pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree assault and a count of possession of a controlled substance in two separate cases, the imposition of his sentence was suspended, and he was handed a three-year sentence in 2003 with both cases to run concurrently.

In 2006, he was handed a two-year suspended sentence and required to participate in a drug treatment program on an unlawful use of drug paraphernalia conviction. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge and paid a $400 fine and in 2010 entered an Alford plea to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. An Alford plea allows a defendant to avoid admitting guilt while conceding the prosecution has enough evidence to convict.

In 2011, Frazier was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and sentenced to five years in prison. In 2013, he was convicted of third-degree assault and resisting arrest in separate cases, both misdemeanors, and sentenced to 183 days in jail for each, to run concurrently with the 2011 sentence. In 2015, he was convicted of felony resisting arrest while creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death, with a suspended imposition of sentence that was later upgraded to a three-year suspended sentence that was not executed because he successfully completed probation.

In 2017, he was again handed a suspended sentence, five years, after pleading guilty to the felony of stealing a vehicle, but again avoided prison after completing a five-year probation. In 2020, he entered Alford pleas to two charges of second-degree burglary in separate cases and was first handed a suspended sentence on one case that was changed to three years on both after a 2021 conviction of possession of methamphetamine precursors. The sentences for all three cases were to run concurrently.

Last year, he pleaded guilty to a 2021 misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

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WP man charged with beating elderly relative