It is with great pride, and far greater relief, that I can report a “caretaker” is far different than a “boyfriend.” A story out of Memphis earlier this week morphed into a virtual fireball that had such power it appeared on the front page on a London newspaper and other news outlets all around the world when it was reported by the Associated Press a 28-year-old man had assaulted his 92-year-old girlfriend.
Whether it was an erroneous police reporter or somebody’s idea of a bad joke, the facts are that a 92-year-old woman – whose name should be withheld – ran a newspaper ad in search of a fulltime care giver.
Thomas Standley was hired for that purpose and moved into the elderly woman’s duplex. Her daughter lives in the other “half” of the house.
Sometime last September the elderly woman signed over her half of the duplex to Standley in a quit-claim deed and soon after he began verbally and physically abusing the woman. Apparently on Tuesday night she refused to take her prescription medicine “because it made her sleepy and she didn’t want to go to sleep.” That was when Standley allegedly choked and shook the woman.
Her daughter heard her mother calling for help and went to investigate. Standley threw her daughter out the door – the daughter called the cops – and, yes, the initial police report identified Standley as her “boyfriend. Later police did a further investigation and a new arrest affidavit was issued for two counts of adult abuse, neglect and exploitation aggravated assault – domestic violence, and aggravated assault. The “boyfriend” part was corrected too.
Bond went from $2,000 to $50,000 and Stanley is to appear before a Shelby County judge today. While much of the world thinks we have the all-time greatest “cougar” (women who seek much younger men) in our midst, the sad part of the story is that there are in this world many more people who abuse and take advantage of our elderly. The victim told police this week that Standley “hurts her all the time and that she is afraid of him”
Further, he coerced her into giving him her “power of attorney” and he has refused to give it back.
That cleared up, here’s today’s plea: If you have proof or even suspect an elderly person is being abused, contact the sheriff or the police chief. It is against the law and ranks as high on the despicable list as child abuse. And, yes, I hope the Memphis jailer throws away the key.
* * *
If your plans were interrupted by snow, think about Georgia’s Kelly Gissendaner for a moment. She was scheduled to be put to death for the February 1997 killing of her husband but Tuesday’s snow cancelled the Department of Corrections’ plans at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classified Prison in Jackson.
Corrections officials have until next Wednesday to carry out the execution warrant or a new warrant must be requested. She will be the first woman executed in Georgia since 1945.
* * *
The 911 operator in Maryland who told a 13-year-old girl to “stop whining” as her father lay dying after being hit by a hit-and-run driver “no longer works for this department,” Anne Arundel Fire Department Captain Russ Davies has announced.
* * *
Terry Dietrich of Duluth, Ga., got a telephone call the other day from police to say the 1972 Corvette that had been stolen from her driveway has been found in near-perfect condition. “If I could get that car back, it could roll up the same driveway, pull back in the same carport it left on Nov. 14, 1972. How awesome is that,” she squealed.
Not so fast, my dear. Allstate Insurance Co. owns the title after they pay a claim. In 1972 a new Corvette’s price was about $5,000 and – of course – the car, now considered an antique, is worth much more on today’s market. Sometimes an insurance company will allow a victim to buy back a car if a portion or all of the claim is returned.
And then there is used car dealer Gary Green, who bought the car when the guy who had it died recently but alerted the police when the serial numbers wouldn’t match. Something tells me this is going to work out for everybody.
* * *
The funniest line on the Internet is the former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner never had a car accident until he turned himself into a woman.
* * *
On Feb. 13, 2013, an incident occurred on the tarmac of the Atlanta Airport that has recently surfaced. It has been learned that the baggage handlers of Delta Air Lines treat all of service personnel this way after they “have given their all” and come home for the last time.
As you watch, allow me to bring your attention to the windows of the airport terminal, where a crowd grows to watch. Also note the smaller casket is this soldier’s War Dog that had been trained to find IEDs, and also lost his life defending “his” country. The Delta pilots do not salute because they are not military but they stand their ground until the processional is driven away. Please watch here what happens when a hero and his dog give their lives for you.
Roy Exum