Man admits abusing disabled client

LJWorld.com weblogs The Lawrence Crime Blotter

Posted by Eric Weslander August 10, 2006 at 3:06 p.m.

A 35-year-old Lawrence man pleaded guilty today to abusing a mentally disabled client at an assisted-living home. Eric S. Wyatt, 35, a former employee of Community Living Opportunities, was scheduled to stand trial next week for abuse of a client at Ponderosa House, 1205 E. 26th St. But he pleaded guilty today in Douglas County District Court to three counts of mistreatment of a dependant adult and will be sentenced Oct. 6.According to Atty. Gen. Phill Kline's office, which prosecuted the case, Wyatt forced credit card into the patient's mouth and then turned it vertically, placed his fingers in the patient's mouth and his thumb under the patient's chin to hold the patient in a standing position, and beat the patient's head and face with the heel of a shoe.Kline's office did not win a conviction earlier this year in a trial involving abuse allegations against another former Ponderosa House worker, Dustin D. Taylor. But some of the counts ended with a hung jury, and Kline has given notice his office plans to try the case again.-contributed by [Eric Weslander.][1] [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/ericweslander

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bialystocknbloom 7 years, 8 months ago

Phill Kline should be tossed out of his office.

TJ_in_Lawrence 7 years, 8 months ago

Ahhh ha... You want Morrison to be elected.... figures your critizing Phil Kline. Pathetic political manuevering.

emtid4u 7 years, 8 months ago

Darn I forgot to mention Korby Harshaw, the investigator who likes to change witness statements. You need to be in jail too. If all goes weel you will be when Morrision takes office. Statue of limitations will not have an affect.

emtid4u 7 years, 8 months ago

Speaking about Taylor's case, the counts the Jury had hung on, were two Misdemeanor counts alternate to eachother. On both counts they were 11 not guilty to one guilty. They could only file on one and Phil doesn't know what double jeapordy is. The Majority rules.

emtid4u 7 years, 8 months ago

Kline still has not prosecuted the persons who made the disabled blind woman stand in one place for hopurs on end in urine soaked garments. He still has not prosecuted Mike Strouse. I want to ask why and want our Govenor to ask kline why.

There are still issues of selective prosecution and you can tell by reading the story this was a plea agreement. We all knew Wyatt was guilty. We know Taylor was not guilty and the jury agreed.

The department of Aging found Strouse and the 11 employees guilty when they fined the company $10,000. However there should have been a criminal case filed against those persons as well. The statute commands they be prosecuted. Justice has not been served.

Phil Kline you need to resign. Mike Strouse you need to be in jail. Oh wait I forgot you guys are golfing buddies. Justice wont be fairly served. The poor gets slammed, the rich go free. Right Phil?

matahari 7 years, 8 months ago

hmm, perhaps it was a symbolic 'put your money where your mouth is?'

barba 7 years, 8 months ago

zorro, I'm guessing the disabled living there have very rich parents. I don't think they would be state funded or they wouldn't be able to afford such cool digs

zorrro 7 years, 8 months ago

Ha!!! I just watched Channel 5 news in KC and they showed that place! Maaaan, this house was freakin' amazing. Did anyone see it? It was like a Martha's Vineyards vacation home or something. How can these disabled people afford places like that? They kept showing it from different angles and if you took the audio off it would have looked exactly like a fancy real estate commercial. Unbelievable!

hugitout 7 years, 8 months ago

MerryPresent- you have got to be kidding- The both of you need to be fist fuked. This type of stuff gets people like me riled up. Karma will get ya.

Kathy Gragg 7 years, 8 months ago

They just don't get it.

hawkwatch71 7 years, 8 months ago

I work with three men with disabilities and I am totally disgusted that some idiot would think that this case is at all amusing. That person is the type that would abuse those who cannot defend themselves or laugh and or stand by and watch as someone else does. We are all just a head injury away from being developmentally disabled. How would you like to be treated that way or have someone you love treated that way?

Kathy Gragg 7 years, 8 months ago

only after hung jury and threat of being recharged, up to then he denied it as have the others involved in that and another incident.

BlueRoom 7 years, 8 months ago

one good thing is that he pleaded guilty.

soiledbrown 7 years, 8 months ago

merry present- my fist in your mouth would keep you awake?

Kathy Gragg 7 years, 8 months ago

You know what the saddest part is, people like that will go from agency to agency working with this population.

Eagle_aye 7 years, 8 months ago

Merry present sounds more like a grumpy scrooge to me. How can anyone condone something like this baffles me!

Christine Pennewell Davis 7 years, 8 months ago

enforcer aaaaaahhhhhhhh I know, some people..

mztrendy 7 years, 8 months ago

Merrypresent, you're kidding right?

lily 7 years, 8 months ago

Excuse me? It's acceptable to put a credit card in someone's mouth to keep them awake? I've had the things cut my hand so they could certainly cut someone's mouth. Yes, developmentally disabled people can be mean etc. I know, I live with one but not all are aware of what they are doing. They live in a world of frustration a lot of the time and don't know how to properly deal with it. Hitting the client in the head with the heel of a shoe? If it's a soft soled one does that make it ok? I don't see how it it's NOT bad that these things were done. Maybe a walk, a funny movie, something else could have kept the client awake. I sure as @($* don't think any part of this was acceptable.

Kathy Gragg 7 years, 8 months ago

You have got to be kidding and it isn't funny. Of course people with developmental disablities can be "mean" but not really beacuse to be "mean " there must be intent, those who have develpmental disablities are not calculated therefore not "mean" I wonder just how it would be if you vcouldn't articulate your needs, or control your limbs all the time or bladder, bowels etc. There is a certain amount of compassion that goes with this type of work and faulting the consumer for their inabilities is just ignorant.

MerryPresent 7 years, 8 months ago

I don't think it's that bad -- the joint told him to keep that client awake -- what else can you do when someone keeps falling asleep? They can't help it. I wouldn't go to sleep with a credit card holding my mouth open either.

Developmentally-disabled people can be mean and spiteful too. Let's not condemn until we hear the whole story. Sounds like something my kids would do to each other on any day: hitting with shoe, putting digits in mouth, putting card in mouth.

How else do you get through to these people, when you've already done all of the "nice, sensible" things?