MONTGOMERY COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO NEGLECT OF A VULNERABLE ADULT

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Isaac Roberts, 54, of the 8500 block of Goshen View Drive in Gaithersburg, pled guilty in the District Court for Montgomery County to one count of second degree neglect of a vulnerable adult. Judge Gary L. Crawford imposed a sentence of probation before judgment, imposed a $500 fine, and placed Roberts on 36 months of probation with the special condition that he refrain from working or participating in the hands-on care field of vulnerable adults.

Roberts had been an employee at an adult group home located on the 14000 block of Blazer Lane in Silver Spring and run by CHI Centers, Inc., which serves individuals with developmental disabilities. On February 13, 2006, Roberts was working the 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. shift at the facility, and was responsible for the care and supervision of four severely impaired residents who were not be left unattended under any circumstances. Each of the four residents suffer from profound mental retardation, and three are non-ambulatory.

The State’s investigation revealed that on the night of February 13, 2006, when the relief person called the house to notify Roberts he was running late, nobody answered the phone. The relief person then contacted his supervisor, who arrived at the house at approximately 11:00 p.m. to find the residents unsupervised. In an interview with a state investigator, Roberts acknowledged that he had left the home at approximately 10:00 p.m. because he was angry that the relief person was late. He also indicated that he was aware that leaving the residents unattended was contrary to his training and legal obligations.

This case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which has authority to prosecute abuse or neglect of vulnerable persons in facilities that receive Medicaid funds.