A new six-bill package aimed at protecting seniors from abuse has been introduced to the Michigan House of Representatives. The bills, if signed into law, would beef up existing safeguards designed to protect the elderly in Michigan from those who would take advantage of them, and those who abuse them.   The bipartisan bills…

  Two new bills have been introduced in the Michigan legislature that aims to protect elders and other vulnerable adults from being financially abused. If you are a regular follower of our blog, then you will recall our article a few months ago dealing with the issue of embezzlement from vulnerable adults, and how it…

  Traditionally the issue of embezzlement is dealt with by criminal defense attorneys and has nothing to do with the issue of abuse. However, when the victim is a vulnerable adult, embezzlement can be viewed as a form of abuse, because stripping a vulnerable person of their financial safety net can have very serious implications…

  For many, the term “abuse” is synonymous with child abuse and domestic violence of a partner. What often doesn’t come to mind right away is another, less commonly discussed form – abuse of the elderly and vulnerable adults. However, while this form of abuse gets very little press, it is apparently a growing problem…

Vulnerable Adult Abuse and Unlawful Imprisonment It has hardly been a handful of months since the story about Candy Larson, the woman accused of keeping her disabled sister locked in a closet for seven years, hit the news. People were horrified and the media devoured the story with the intensity of vultures, calling the situation…

  A recent case in Ann Arbor has once again highlighted the difference between embezzlement in the more traditional sense—unlawfully taking money from one’s employer—and financial abuse of vulnerable persons. Embezzlement is defined as the taking of money to which a person has legal access but not ownership rights. And when the victims are vulnerable…

Sentencing Set for Couple Accused of Caging Teenager Karen and Timothy Tolin, the Huron County couple who are currently up against some very stiff charges for keeping their adopted teenaged son caged, have accepted a plea deal for unlawful imprisonment.

Elderly and vulnerable adult abuse is a growing problem in communities all across Michigan. According to Michigan’s Adult Protective Services, instances of elder abuse have more than doubled in just a few years.   This increase is concerning to law enforcement officials and senior citizen advocates. “People are reporting it more,” says Judy Sivak, the…

On Monday, October 20th at about 4 pm, Deputy Steve Bismack of the Huron County Sheriff’s Department responded to a domestic disturbance call at a home on Minden Road. What he discovered there has shocked people across the state.   After speaking to the people involved, the deputy was given permission to enter one of…