HYDE PARK -A 28-year-old Hyde Park woman has been charged with felony endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person after Hyde Park police found an elderly woman wandering on Roosevelt Road on April 18, 2023, at 5:44 p.m.
Tiffany Lawrence of 118 Roosevelt Road, was determined to be the foster caretaker of the victim who required immediate medical attention at the scene. Lawrence was arrested on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.
According to Hyde Park Police Chief Robert Benson, his officers responded to a call for a welfare check of an elderly woman standing in the roadway near 116 Roosevelt Road. When officers Sweeney and McGaw arrived, they found the elderly woman wearing an adult diaper that had been duct taped to her body and a medical bandage duct taped to her head. Benson said the head bandage was applied so tightly that the tape was interfering with the woman’s blood circulation. Police notified EMS who arrived and transported the elderly woman to MidHudson Regional Hospital with serious injuries.
Officers Sweeney and McGaw, continued their investigation and determined that the victim was under the care of Lawrence through a foster guardian program offered by the Lutheran Care Center at Concord Village of Poughkeepsie. The program assists with the placement of elderly clients who require non-medical living assistance.
The investigation revealed that the elderly victim was living in “deplorable conditions and was being neglected by Lawrence,” Benson said. Police also found a two-year-old German Shepard-Golden Retriever dog that was in “very poor condition and appeared to be mistreated and malnourished,” according to police. The dog was seized by the Dutchess County SPCA Humane Law Enforcement unit for immediate veterinary treatment. The investigation into the treatment of the dog is being handled by the DCSPCA.
On Tuesday, April 26, 2023, Lawrence was taken into custody by Hyde Park Police and charged with felony endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and was released with an appearance ticket to return to the Town of Hyde Park Justice Court on April 27, 2023, at 5:30 pm.
