Son charged in elder abuse case

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - Mark Anderson was arraigned Wednesday morning on charges he abused his elderly mother, leaving her in a filthy house and lying in her own waste.

Prosecutors said his mother was found Monday in poor health, in what Muskegon Police Chief Anthony Kleibecker described as "absolutely disgusting and heartbreaking" conditions.

Lucille Anderson, 85, is hospitalized in serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery to repair a deteriorating part of her leg.

Mark Anderson, 50, was officially charged with one count of second-degree vulnerable adult abuse, and was ordered to have no contact with his mother or any vulnerable adult, and to not touch "a dime" of his mother's Social Security checks.

Bond was set at $10,000 and a preliminary exam on the charges is set for December 12.

Anderson said his sister cashed their mother's Social Security checks and paid bills. He then got some of that money, but police will look into the issue further to determine if any crime was committed.

Anderson's older brother called 911 after their mom had trouble breathing. When paramedics arrived, they discovered the woman, who was suffering in pain. She was then taken to a hospital.

Police told 24 Hour News 8 the house in the 1600 block of Hoyt Street was loaded with trash inside, with little aisles to navigate through the garbage. They won't release the pictures that they took of the home Mark Anderson owns.

Family members told police it might have been a year since the woman was last bathed.

24 Hour News 8 talked to neighbors about the incident.

"It was nasty. You could smell it today. It smelled like sewage because she was laying in her own feces."

"We'd see the gentleman at the house once in a while. He didn't like talking. They just gave him things and left."

"I never seen him at all. "My wife saw him at one time going through the garbage. I don't know what for."

"She brought him into this world, he should be able to take care of her. That's how I feel."

"To imagine someone doing that to their own family is just disgusting. My heart goes out to the lady. I didn't know her, didn't know she was in the house. But if I would have I would have been there."

Police say they aren't sure if the home was structurally sound, as parts of the ceiling were collapsing. Now the house is condemned.