Caregiver For Disabled In Erie Accused Of Abuse, Neglect

BOULDER, Colo. (AP/CBS4) - A woman hired to take care of three developmentally disabled men in her home is accused of abusing them and failing to properly feed or clean for them.

Prosecutors announced Monday that a grand jury indicted Kelly Cassidy Benz of Erie for caretaker neglect and third-degree assault, among other charges.

The Daily Camera reports that Benz was arrested Friday in Minneapolis and is expected to be extradited to Colorado soon. There is no attorney listed for her yet in court records.

Authorities began investigating Benz after a caregiver she hired off Craigslist working while she was on vacation reported that the she had only left frozen dinners and a pail of beans for the men to eat in the refrigerator. Two men claimed they weren't allowed to come out of the basement to eat.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett says it's the first time a grand jury has indicted someone suspected of abusing a disabled person.

"It took several months to put the whole case together," Garnett told CBS4's Mark Taylor. "They are enhanced, the felony charges, because of the at-risk nature of the victims."

One of the men weighed only about 100 pounds and doctors also found bruises and other signs of physical abuse.

Prosecutor say Benz was contracted to care for the men and was paid by a local state service agency.

"You're dealing with a situation here in which the defendant was allegedly in a relationship with the victims of having an obligation to take care of them and provide services to them," Garnett said.

Authorities removed the men from the home when the investigation started. All three are doing better.

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