Hawthorne couple arrested for elder abuse
Janice and Gregory Bartmess
HAWTHORNE, Calif.—The daughter and son-in-law of an 86-year-old Hawthorne woman were arrested after police found her bedridden, with open sores and soiled clothing, police said.
Janice Bartmess and Gregory Bartmess, both 60, were arrested on suspicion of elder abuse, Hawthorne police said Saturday.
The couple also were booked on suspicion of cruelty to animals, because of the conditions of 13 dogs taken from the home in the 3700 block of 119th Place on Friday.
A tipster led police to the home.
"The conditions physically inside the room that she was in were very dirty,'' Hawthorne police Lt. Gary Tomatani told KCAL9 News. "There was rotting and spoiling food in various containers on the floor and the table, and there was animal feces on the floor.''
The older woman's name was withheld.
"She was wearing a hospital gown,'' Tomatani said. "The hospital gown had unfortunately been soiled with feces and urine, possibly her own.''
The woman was taken to a hospital to be care for and will eventually be turned over to county Adult Protective Services, police said.
Cesar Saldana, a neighbor, said the Bartmess's "seemed like a nice couple. They were friendly.''
Regarding the conditions in the home, he said, "I think it's more like a hoarding situation with them. They didn't know what they were doing.''
LOS ANGELES - Females who may have been victimized by a Hawthorne man suspected of abducting girls and turning them into prostitutes were asked today to contact police.
Leroy Bragg, 34, pleaded not guilty Thursday to human trafficking and other charges.
He is accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old Upland girl a few days ago, and is also suspected of other abductions, said Jane Robison of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
TORRANCE, Calif. — The Torrance Police Department announced today that it has three suspects in custody who are believed to have been involved in credit card fraud victimizing 37 people from San Diego to Simi Valley.
The investigation began on Sept. 17, after a Torrance resident living in the 17500 block of Emanita Avenue was fraudulently billed for a delivery to a FedEx office at 21023 Hawthorne Boulevard.
Surveillance video allegedly showed a suspect picking up a package.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A Los Angeles woman who created bogus death certificates, bought a burial plot, buried an empty casket, and staged a phony funeral to lend credibility to an insurance fraud scheme was sentenced today to a year and a half in federal prison.
Jean Crump, 70, was found guilty last year of federal mail and wire fraud charges stemming from the scam in which she and others purchased insurance policies for non-existent people, killed them off on paper and then staged their funerals.
Who wouldn’t want to spend the summer months sleeping until noon, and the rest of the day scouring the malls for the latest Hip Hop fashion or hanging out at the park shooting hoops?
“Hold your candle high against domestic violence, against elder abuse, against child abuse, against gun violence,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ridley-Thomas implored the crowd of about 200 gathered at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. “We hold our candles high against all forms of violence.
