Sibling caretakers arrested: Disabled adult seen climbing out of window, calling for help in Winston-Salem

When officers arrived, they saw a woman hanging halfway out of a bedroom window yelling for help.

Author: Blair Barnes

Two people were arrested after a woman was seen climbing from a bedroom window calling for help in Winston-Salem, according to police. 

Winston-Salem police were sent to the 1900 block of Bramblewood Trail after getting a call about unknown trouble. 

When officers arrived, they saw a disabled woman hanging halfway out of a bedroom window yelling for help. The woman lived at the home under the care of Mary Kathleen Adkins. However, Adkins' brother, George Murry Adkins Jr. was present in the home at the time of the incident as her caregiver.

After an investigation, police discovered the victim was locked in the room for more than 12 hours. 

On Oct. 13. the siblings were charged with the following:

• Mary Adkins- 2 counts of domestic abuse/ neglect/ exploitation of a disabled adult 
• George Adkins- 1 count of Domestic abuse/neglect/ exploitation of a disabled adult 

Anyone with any information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Winston-Salem Police Department at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800, or En Espanol 336-728-3904.

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Sibling caretakers arrested: Disabled adult seen climbing out of window, calling for help in Winston-Salem

Police: Three caretakers charged in death of Evansville woman who was special needs patient

by Houston Harwood

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — On Jan. 4, 2020, a home health aide in Evansville dialed 911 to report that her special needs client may have stopped breathing. When the Evansville Fire Department arrived, technicians determined that 28-year-old Robin Phillips was dead. 

Prosecutors this week charged three Evansville women in connection with Phillips' death. Latavia M. Booker, 20; Victoria D. Brown, 32; and Glenda R. Fields, 38, all face two counts of neglecting a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury. 

Brown and Fields were booked into the Vanderburgh County jail on Wednesday. Booker was arrested Tuesday. 

The three women worked for Compass Residential, a company that provides services to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

According to court records, Evansville police spoke to Booker at the scene of Phillips' death. Booker told police she heard a "thump," and the sound prompted her to check on Phillips. After placing a protective helmet on her, she returned Phillips to the bedroom.

When Booker later checked on her client, she told police she found her unresponsive and dialed 911.

A day before Phillips' death, her care team at Compass Residential held a meeting to discuss changes in Phillips' condition, according to court records.

Brown told police that protocol dictated Phillips be taken to the emergency room for treatment. After the meeting, Brown said she directed Booker and Fields, who worked the 3 p.m. shift with Phillips that day, to take Phillips to the emergency room. 

Megan Conner, who works for Indiana's Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services, told police she attended part of the meeting with Phillips' care team. She told police that Brown assured her Phillips would be taken to the emergency room.

According to court documents, that never happened.

After Phillips' death, Conner received a report from Compass that showed staff did not take Phillips to the emergency room despite being instructed to do so. 

Lakesha Watt, who was working with Phillips prior to the arrival of Booker and Fields on Jan. 3, 2020, later told police that Fields said "it was not her f-----g job" to take Phillips to the emergency room, according to a sworn affidavit filed against Fields. 

Fields told police she said "it was not her job" to take Phillips to the hospital because she "did not get paid extra," according to the affidavit. 

Compass Residential conducted its own internal review after Phillips' death.

Lee Vanhorn, a director at Compass, told police "there were a lot of documents just missing" from Phillip's medical records — specifically her Medication Administration Record.

According to court records, the Compass employee manual states that all direct support staff are required to "transport consumers during their shift," and also specifies how employees can receive compensation for the use of a personal vehicle. 

The same manual also defines "neglect" as the "failure to provide supervision, training, appropriate care, food, medical care, or medical supervision to an individual."

The Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office eventually determined Phillip died as the result of chlorpromazine intoxication and caretaker malfeasance of a special needs patient. Chlorpromazine is a widely used antipsychotic medication, and the drug was legally prescribed to Phillips. 

All three women charged in connection with Phillips' death are being held on $150,000 bond in the Vanderburgh County jail.

In Phillips' obituary, her family wrote, "Robin loved to swim and enjoyed listening to music. She also enjoyed long rides in the car."

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Police: Three caretakers charged in death of Evansville woman who was special needs patient

Caretakers arrested, accused of stealing over $1 million from elderly woman

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - Two women working as caretakers were arrested over the weekend, accused of stealing more than $1 million from an elderly woman in Fort Lauderdale after she died, police said.

Angella Morrison, 54, and AnnaKay Johnson, 29, each face changes of grand theft, exploitation of an elderly victim, and dealing in stolen property, WPLG-TV reported.

Detectives said Morrison and Johnson wiped out the woman’s bank accounts after she died in March 2016 by making withdrawals that totaled more than $1 million, according to WPLG.

Police said that Morrison and Johnson gained the victim’s trust while working for her and allegedly convinced her to give them big bonus checks before she died.

Morrison and Johnson also stole more than 50 pieces of the woman’s jewelry and pawned it for cash, according to the arrest report.

The women were booked into the Broward County Jail and released after Morrison posted a $51,000 bail and Johnson a $44,000 bail, state records show.



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Caretakers arrested, accused of stealing over $1 million from elderly woman

‘Caretaker’ couple facing murder charges in death of elderly man

Jonathan Lee Barber and Tiffany Dawn Fountain - Rollis Noble Bowman

Two people who reportedly agreed to look after an elderly man are now facing murder charges.

According to investigators, Jonathan Lee Barber and Tiffany Dawn Fountain are responsible for the death of 76-year-old Rollis Noble Bowman, along with over $7,000 in unexplained ATM withdrawals from his bank account.

The couple initially lived next door to Bowman on Brandy Lane, where they rented a home from him, according to Chief Deputy James Yarbrough with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

While Bowman was not suffering from any pre-existing medical conditions, he needed help with day-to-day activities because of his advanced age, according to Yarbrough.

With Bowman’s closest relatives living in Augusta, an agreement was reportedly made with his Barber and Fountain, who agreed to help out and moved in with Bowman in September of 2016.

In exchange for their help, Bowman let them live rent-free in his home and paid for all the groceries and utilities, Yarbrough said.

Bowman also provided his ATM card to the couple to help pay the bills, but investigators now say there is more than $7,000 in unaccounted withdrawals.

Investigators say they believe while Barber and Fountain lived with Bowman, the older man suffered from extreme neglect and, as a result, his health spiraled.

By March of 2017, Bowman had contracted pneumonia, but the couple never took him to the doctor or filled any prescriptions, Yarbrough said.

Two months later, Bowman passed away in his bedroom. At the time of his death, Bowman weighed just 110 pounds – a loss of more than 55 pounds, according to his Georgia driver’s license.

Because of the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, Bowman’s body was sent to the GBI crime lab for further analysis. On Jan. 2, the final results came back.

According to GBI Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Jacqueline Martine, the causes of Bowman’s death were acute pneumonia, dehydration and cachexia –  a metabolic disorder that typically involves extreme weight loss and increases the risk of deadly complications such as infections.

Martin listed the manner of death as homicide and said she believed Bowman’s basic needs and medical care were met with “carelessness...in other words, (he was) neglected.”

Lead Investigator Sgt. Chad McDonald said instances like these are horrific but are becoming more common.

“That’s why the attorney general is starting to address this,” he said. “There are more situations where people are taking in elderly people or offering to care for them, but they exploit the situation. There’s a financial element that drives it."

On Tuesday, authorities arrested Barber, 29, and Fountain, 28, and charged both with murder and two counts of elder abuse. They are being held at the Coweta County Jail.

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‘Caretaker’ couple facing murder charges in death of elderly man

Scarbro couple charged with exploitation, embezzlement

Police arrested the caretakers of a disabled Scarbro man for allegedly stealing his monthly income and running up debt using his identity, Fayette County Sheriff Mike Fridley reported Monday.

Jeremy Jay Wriston, 33, and Janice JoAnn Wriston, 33, both of Scarbro, were charged with financial exploitation of an incapacitated adult and embezzlement by a fiduciary, following a police investigation, Fridley said.

Both are felony charges, and the victim is a relative, he added.

According to the sheriff, his office was notified Feb. 9 that the couple, then in the area of Paint Creek Road near Scarbro, had been misusing and misappropriating the funds of a physically and mentally challenged adult.

Police investigated and learned that the Wristons had promised to provide care for the male victim and assist with his daily needs. They had moved into the victim’s house in March 2016.

There was no indication that the suspects physically abused the victim, Fridley said, but they allegedly misappropriated several thousand dollars of his Social Security and disability income and disposed of some of his personal property.

Police alleged in criminal complaints that the Wristons also used the victim’s identity to run up debt.
Both suspects were arrested earlier Monday and each was released on a $10,000 bond following their arraignments in Fayette County Magistrate Court.

“The abuse or financial exploitation of the elderly or of mentally incapacitated adults is something we take very seriously,” said Fridley. “Just as we do with our children, we have a duty and obligation to protect these elderly and vulnerable members of our communities.

“The abuse or financial exploitation of our older citizens is simply unacceptable and any such conduct reported to the Sheriff’s Office will be thoroughly investigated and, if warranted by the investigation, criminal charges will be filed,” he added.

The incident remains under investigation by Fridley’s office.

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Scarbro couple charged with exploitation, embezzlement