BELOIT, Wis. (WFRV) – A 49-year-old caregiver in Wisconsin was
arrested following an investigation into battery against a disabled
adult over time.
According to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office,
the initial report was on January 23, 2026, when deputies responded to
the possible battery. Officials learned throughout the early phases of
the investigation that there may have been multiple offenses over time.
Officials developed probable cause early in the case to arrest
49-year-old Toyo Perez of Beloit on a single count of abusing a
vulnerable adult; however, upon reviewing several hours of footage and a
subsequent interview, Perez was arrested on Wednesday on the following
charges:
10 counts – Intentionally Subjecting an At-Risk Individual to Abuse—Causing Bodily Harm
A
former attorney has been found guilty of multiple felony charges for
obtaining loans under false pretenses from a former client who suffered a
traumatic brain injury.
The New Hampshire Attorney General's
Office said Justin Nadeau received a $275,000 loan from the client in
August 2018, then obtained a second loan in December.
Officials said Nadeau tried to conceal the loans in several ways,
including fabricating documents and forging his then-wife's signature.
A Birmingham woman faces charges in Madison County for allegedly exploiting an elderly person by cashing a fraudulent check.
by Austin Pylant
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A Birmingham woman was extradited to Madison
County after Huntsville Police say she used her role as a caregiver to
an elderly person to cash a fraudulent check.
The case came to light when a family member noticed suspicious
withdrawals from the victim’s account on April 11, 2024, and reported it
to authorities. Investigators learned that 41-year-old Sheneika Lavonne
Clay had been caring for the victim at the time.
Police say Clay duplicated a check from the victim’s checkbook, made
it payable to herself, and deposited it into her own account.
Three warrants were issued charging Clay with First-Degree Financial
Exploitation of the Elderly, Third-Degree Forgery – Counterfeiting, and
Identity Theft.
Clay was apprehended in St. Clair County before being extradited to Madison County.
“This case is an important reminder to families to regularly monitor
the finances of elderly loved ones and report suspicious activity as
soon as possible,” Huntsville Police said.
Law allows families to start guardianship earlier, closing risky gap when children turn 18.
New Jersey has passed a law making it easier for parents of children
with disabilities to file for legal guardianship. The new legislation
allows families to begin the guardianship process earlier, closing a gap
that previously left many vulnerable adults at risk when they turned 18
and lost certain protections.
Why it matters
This new law addresses a critical issue facing families of
children with disabilities in New Jersey. Previously, the guardianship
process could not begin until the child turned 18, leaving a precarious
period where the young adult was no longer a minor but still required
significant support and decision-making assistance. The new law aims to
provide more stability and security for this population.
The details
Under the new law, parents in New Jersey can now initiate the
guardianship process for their children with disabilities before the
child turns 18. This helps ensure a smoother transition and avoids a
lapse in legal protections when the child becomes a legal adult. The
change was championed by a Sussex County mother who faced anxiety
navigating the previous system.
The new law went into effect on April 1, 2026.
The players
Sussex County Mom
A
mother from Sussex County, New Jersey who advocated for the new law
after facing challenges with the previous guardianship process for her
child with a disability.
What’s next
The new law is expected to provide greater peace of mind for
families of children with disabilities in New Jersey, allowing them to
plan for the future and ensure their loved ones' needs are met.
The takeaway
This legislation represents an important step forward in
supporting individuals with disabilities and their families in New
Jersey. By streamlining the guardianship process, the state is helping
to protect vulnerable adults and provide more stability during a
critical life transition.
COLUMBUS
–State Representative Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) recently provided
sponsor testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on House Bill
491, legislation to make updates to Ohio’s current guardianship laws,
providing greater clarity and accountability.
Guardianship law involves transferring decision-making authority over
personal, medical, and financial matters from an individual to a
court-appointed guardian.
Key updates in the bill include the following:
Defines the different types of guardians and clarifies their roles;
Clarifies the termination of guardianship based on the value of the
ward’s estate by requiring a receipt verifying a deposit filed with the
court and court approval for the release of funds to benefit an
incompetent adult; and
Establishes new reporting requirements for guardians, specifically those appointed for incompetent adults.
“House Bill 491 modernizes Ohio’s guardianship statutes, so they are
clearer, more consistent, and better aligned with current practice,
while still maintaining the essential protection that guardianship is
meant to provide,” Ray said during sponsor testimony.
House Bill 491 awaits further consideration from the committee.
A
young Meals On Wheels deliveryman can add "lifesaver" to his resume
after helping an elderly woman during a medical episode last week.
Alekzander Dzivak was delivering a meal to Ms. Lana when she was experiencing a diabetic medical episode.
Ms.
Lana was able to contact Dzivak through her cellphone, and Dzivak was
able to call paramedics to provide lifesaving assistance.
FORT WORTH, Texas - A young Meals On Wheels worker in Tarrant County made a lifesaving effort last week during a routine delivery.
What we know:
19-year-old
Alekzander Dzivak rescued an elderly woman in Tarrant County from a
medical episode during a Meals On Wheels delivery.
The
incident occurred on Tuesday, March 10, when the woman, known as Ms.
Lana, suffered the episode inside her home in Fort Worth.
Ms.
Lana, who is diabetic, was incapacitated in her kitchen and unable to
move when Dzivak arrived with a Meals On Wheels delivery.
Despite being incapacitated, she was able to contact Dzivak through her doorbell by using her cell phone.
Dzivak
was able to call 911 and get Ms. Lana lifesaving medical help. First
responders came within five minutes to stabilize her.
"It’s just unbelievable."
What they're saying:
Ms.
Lana also says she had not disclosed her diabetic issues to Meals On
Wheels. Without Dzivak's quick thinking, the outcome could have been
much worse.
"If he hadn’t come, I would’ve
died. It was that far along," Ms. Lana tells FOX 4's Dionne Anglin. "He
came to the door at the right moment. It’s just unbelievable."
"I
was petrified because I've never been that bad before," Ms. Lana
continued. "I knew I was by myself. I knew my next-door neighbor wasn’t
home. There just wasn’t anyway I could get hold of anybody.
Dzivak
might be the youngest Meals On Wheels worker in Tarrant County, having
only turned 19 a few weeks ago. He's responsible for two delivery routes
for one day during the week.
Thanks to his quick action, he and Ms. Lana now share a special connection.
"She
was giving me the code and saying she was gonna die, and please call
911," Dzivak told Anglin. "I was nodding and shaking my head. I was
trying to keep her talking to me, keep her calm. It was a very scary
situation.
"I
was very happy I arrived when I did, because I don’t know what would’ve
happened had I shown up later," Dzivak said. "So I’m just glad I was
here, and the paramedics were as close as they were."
Dzivak
is now encouraging others to volunteer and make an impact. "Any impact
you’re able to make is amazing. I find it so rewarding to volunteer," he
tells Anglin.
A man saved an elderly woman from a house fire — and not to be outdone, his dog saved her dog as well!
Richard Keith Taylor, his wife, Melanie,
and their dog, Ace, were driving in Cleveland when they saw a house had
caught fire. Richard stopped the car and charged in, rescuing an
elderly woman, the Cleveland Fire Department and City of Cleveland announced online.
Cleveland Fire
The
fire department soon arrived and began fighting the blaze — and that’s
when pitbull mix Ace began sniffing and straining on his leash toward a
boarded-up basement window.
Sure
enough, firefighters entered the basement and found a small brown dog
behind a closed door. Luckily, the pooch suffered no injuries from the
fire or smoke.
“It’s God’s work,” the CFD quotes Richard as saying. “Just glad I was in the right place at the right time.”
