Police discovered Thursday that a 30-year-old autistic man was being kept in “dungeon-like conditions” in a Sweetwater trailer home, authorities said.AP reports:
Gladys Jaramillo told police that on numerous occasions she has locked her son in his room with iron bars and a dead bolt so she could go out with her boyfriend and enjoy herself, her arrest affidavit said.
The 56-year-old mother faces charges of aggravated abuse and neglect on a mentally disabled adult and false imprisonment, police said. She was being held on $15,000 bond early Friday. It wasn't immediately known whether she has an attorney.
Investigators said Jaramillo also admitted giving her son sedatives “so he would fall asleep throughout the time she was away,” the report said.
The man was taken to a hospital with scratches and bruises and is being evaluated to see if he may need any services going forward. The Department of Children and Families is working with the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to find an appropriate place for the son to live, such as with a family member or a group home, after he leaves the hospital, DCF spokeswoman Lissette Valdes-Valle said.
The case will go to court in the next few weeks, where a judge will appoint a guardian for the man.
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The son was on a waiting list to receive services from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the person familiar with the investigation said. Services can include adult day care; having a companion come to the home to help with things such as cooking and cleaning; occupational therapy; and construction improvements so the patient can be more independent in their home, according to the agency’s website.
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