Deputies find mentally disabled adults in cockroach-infested house

BARSTOW - Sheriff's deputies found two mentally disabled adults and their 68-year-old mother living in a cockroach-infested house with little food after their caregiver was arrested Thursday.

After the county probation office arrested Barry Little, 46, for probation violations, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies went to check his residence on the 3600 block of Iris Drive, where Little was the primary caregiver for his mentally disabled brother, 41, and sister, 39, as well as his 68-year-old mother, according to Sgt. Manny Mendoza with the Barstow sheriff's office.

The house had power and water but was infested with cockroaches and in "awful condition," Mendoza said.

"The carpets were soiled, there was old food caked on the counters, the refrigerator has spoiled food in it and there just were not adequate living conditions," he said.

The two mentally disabled adults, whose names were not released, were transported to Barstow Community Hospital by ambulance for monitoring. Doctors found no serious medical issues, and the two adults were released and transported to a behavioral health center in Colton.

The mother, he said, was able to care for herself to an extent, but two other adult sons came from out of town to stay at the house with her following Little's arrest. Mendoza said that Little may be charged with elder abuse.
Little had been receiving money from the state to care for his siblings, Mendoza said. He was on probation after pleading guilty to transport or sale of a controlled substance in October of 2007.

Family members contacted at the residence declined to comment. Carl Eklund, area deputy director for the Department of Aging and Adult Services, also declined to comment on specifics of the case, citing confidentiality laws.

However, he said that his office typically receives about 45 referrals a month from Barstow regarding potential elder abuse and neglect. San Bernardino County as a whole saw 6,681 cases in the 2006-07 fiscal year.

"The topic of elder abuse has really been brought to the forefront over the last several years," Eklund said, "and as the population ages and those of us who are baby boomers get up to retirement age, it's going to happen more and more."

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