In a home in Cobb County Georgia located at 981 Laurel Springs Lane, Reequel Alita Penny, age 43, was keeping elderly women in her basement in 11 feet by 5 feet spaces separated by plywood without proper medicine, food, nor facilities. Penny pled guilty to felony criminal charges including, but not limited to, false imprisonment, deprivation and racketeering totaling 47 charges.
Judge C. LaTain Kell of Cobb County Superior Court sentenced Penny to 20 years in prison, with 10 to serve. The District Attorney, Vic Reynolds, stated that, “This case is about how we treat the elderly and disabled in our community. I hope the message was sent that these sorts of substandard conditions will not be tolerated.”
As I have stated in my prior blog post about Nursing Home Abuse, as our society begins to age, we are likely to see more and more cases of abuse and neglect of many types. These sentences and punishments, and more like it, will hopefully send a clear message that this type of behavior and neglect will not be tolerated by the law or by the community.
The disabled and the elderly are one of our most vulnerable populations in our society and we must stand up for those that can not stand up for themselves. As more and more personal care facilities are built and opened, and more and more assisted living communities are available to meet the demands of an aging society, it remains to be seen whether the supply will actually meet the demand. It is when this falls upon us that we see substandard living conditions and people being taken advantage of in this these types of environments.
I have stated on my website a list of 17 Legal Rights that a Nursing Home Resident has in Georgia. Regardless of these Rights, we continue to see Nursing Home Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect cases including, but limited to, the following types:
1.) Elder Abuse
2.) Medicinal Abuse
3.) Emotional Abuse
4.) Financial Abuse
5.) Physical Assault
6.) Battery
7.) Rape
8.) Physical Neglect
9.) Medical Neglect
10.) Failure to Prevent Dehydration
11.) Failure to Prevent Malnutrition
12.) Failure to Prevent Falls
13.) Failure to Prevent Bed Sores
14.) Withholding Medication
15.) Intentionally Over Medicating
16.) Inadequate Supervision
17.) Lack of Food
18.) Lack of Water
In the case in point, it does not say how long these women endured these conditions that I would consider torture. As more cases such as this present themselves, I predict that we will see more strict sentences and more regulations.
At Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, & Affiliates, we are advocates for both the Elderly and the Disabled so if you or a loved one has been injured or killed by the negligent act or acts of another, then please Contact Us by any or all of the following means: By phone at 770-865-8654, (813) 363-6664; By email at juliericelaw@outlook.com; By the Contact Form on this Blog; and/or By the Contact Form on our Website for your free legal consultation.
Nobody should endure such hardship, treatment, and conditions, and we are here to protect you and your loved ones interests. We also hope that in the future we see less and less of these types of cases.