Man, 81, beaten by relative; goat, horses removed from ‘squalid’ property

Man, 81, beaten by relative; goat, horses removed from ‘squalid’ property


 BY ROSEMARY SOBOL Staff Reporter rsobol@suntimes.com  Apr 23, 2011 10:56PM

Denise Thomas, 49, of the 20900 block of South Cottage Grove in Ford Heights has been charge with one count of domestic battery to a person over 60, repeatedly beating an elderly relative according to a sheriff's release.
Photo provided by Cook County Sheriff's Office
A south suburban woman living in “squalid’’ conditions with an 81-year-old relative was charged with repeatedly beating the elderly man with a stick, the Cook County Sheriff’s office said Saturday.
Officials also removed a sickly goat and three horses from their property, which had no running water, heat or electricity and was littered with animal feces.
Denise Thomas, 49, of Ford Heights, has been charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic battery to a person over 60, the sheriff said in a written statement.
A friend of the elderly victim tipped police to the situation.
On April 15, Cook County Sheriff’s Police patrol went to the home on the 20900 block of South Cottage Grove, and found “squalid conditions, with animal feces, urine, trash and clothing covering the living areas, kitchen and bedroom,’’ the statement said.
There was no water or heat and the food in the refrigerator spoiled because there was no electricity, the statement said.
The victim told police that the day before, after returning from a trip to the store with Thomas, she accused him of talking too much.
He said Thomas — whose specific relation to the victim was not released — starting hitting him in the back with a stick as he attempted to get out of her car, officials said.
On Thursday, investigators with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office Animal Crimes Unit and Cook County Code Enforcement returned to the victim’s 13-acre property, where he also keeps livestock.
The investigators found none of the animals had food or water, and they were housed in “filthy’’ stalls, the sheriff said.
Officers removed an unhealthy goat, a pregnant mare suffering from edema, a mare bloated as a result of parasites, and her newborn foal, the sheriff said.
 
Please read complete article at link below:
 
http://www.suntimes.com/4988468-417/man-81-beaten-by-relative-goat-horses-removed-from-squalid-property.html
 
Editor's note:  Probate Sharks will be following this case very closely. If the circumstances described in the Sun-Times article are accurate, the 81 year old victim is obviously in need of much assistance and intervention.  The fact the elderly gentleman owns property, places him in a position whereby he may be victimized a second time, by the predatory vultures from the probate court system or the public guardian. The question remains; who will get to his estate first, a bunch of relatives, uncaring mean rotten bastards, who would beat up an old man and let him languish in filth, or the greedy lawyers and judges in the Probate Court of Cook County?  Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com