Man Accused of Holding Senior Citizens in a “Dungeon” for Years to Steal their Social Security Checks (Judite)

A man has been accused of committing a despicable crime. If he’s found guilty, it could land him in prison for a very long time.  Walter Jones is accused of locking four elderly men in a “dungeon” in his home, all so he could collect their social security checks.   He is being charged with two counts of injury to the elderly and the case is sad.

Police say that Jones held four men captive in a garage, with one of them being there for nearly 10 years.  The men were only given scraps to eat and held against their will.   Three of the men had suffered from malnutrition as a result of their condition, and taken to the hospital.

A resident nearby called police after seeing a man standing in the window rubbing his stomach because he was so hungry.   Police describe the conditions in which the men were living to be like a “dungeon.”

   There was no bathroom and only one piece of furniture.   There were bars and locked doors as well, keeping anyone from getting in or out of the location.

The men were lured into the house, according to police, by being promised liquor, food and cigarettes. That’s when they were locked away, allegedly.

“Oh my God, it just touched my heart,” Alberta Ewing said. “I mean, I just feel for them. I don’t know, it just really got me hurt.”

The woman said that one of the men asked her for help when he saw her outside. But she didn’t take him seriously at the time. Apparently, the men were sometimes allowed to sit outside.

The defense may argue that the men could have left on their own.  But the case has garnered national media attention for the shear brutality of it all. With states cutting access to welfare programs and not allowing felons to get basic services, could this be part of the fallout?

SCRIPTURES

Hsa 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Exd 22:7

¶

If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.

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