GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County elderly woman is recovering after being found in deplorable conditions by maintenance workers in Duluth before police charged her son with her neglect.
Tony Sherman, 56, was arrested Monday for neglect of a disabled adult or elderly person.
Duluth police found his 88-year-old mother in her home on Oct. 18 in conditions so dire that it made responding officers vomit multiple times.
Once a maintenance team called 911, officers responded and found the victim with bed sores and lying in her own urine and waste.
Police said she was very frail and appeared to not have eaten a meal in a significant amount of time.
“There’s neglect here,” an officer is heard saying on body camera video. “The whole room smells like fecal matter.”
Maintenance workers with the Buford Housing Authority told police they were working on repairs in the home on South Street, unaware anyone was living inside.
They heard a noise coming from a bedroom and saw movement from someone underneath the covers.
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When officers arrived, they immediately put on masks and gloves, while commenting on the conditions the woman had lived in.
One officer vomited three times while on the scene.
The victim was taken to a hospital where she received care and is recovering.
When the victim’s son was called to the home, he told officers he checked on her daily but became overwhelmed caring for her.
“She said she never ever wanted to go to a nursing home so I’m doing the best I can,” Sherman said.
When officers asked him about sharing the lease with his mother, they said his story changed about where he lived.
He told police that it had been approximately a year since a doctor saw her and that it was difficult to get her to eat regularly.
Duluth police say the case is ongoing and more criminal charges could be filed.
Sherman remains in jail without bond.
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