Officers go all out for elderly man

Officers responding to a call Monday found an elderly man in a wheel chair, confused and unable to care for himself. In subsequent days, they made sure he was cared for and spent a day cleaning his house and making sure it was habitable for him when he returns home.

The 77 year old man lives in a home on Rock Harbor Drive in Key Largo. On Monday, Sgt. Jason Madnick responded to a call from someone in that area who said a man in a wheel chair was yelling to call the police because someone had stolen money from him.

When Sgt. Madnick arrived, he found the man in his residence with the front door and windows open. The man had trouble hearing and, in response to questions, said several times he was confused. Sgt. Madnick called for an ambulance to check the man.

The home was in terrible condition as was the man himself. He kept talking about someone coming to his house and taking him to the bank. Sgt. Madnick asked if he’d eaten and the man said no. There was no food in the refrigerator. Sgt. Madnick arranged to have food delivered to the residence with the generous help of Tower of Pizza, which is nearby.

Sgt. Madnick stayed on the scene for a lengthy period of time to make sure the man was all right. He made many phone calls to the man’s family and to several social service agencies. Someone from the Department of Children and Families finally responded to the residence to help. The man was transported to the hospital to be evaluated.

The following day, Sgt. Madnick went to First State Bank where the man has his bank account to make sure there had been no theft of his funds. The bank agreed the man had been having memory and confusion issues. Sgt. Madnick called the man’s family members again to make sure they know where his funds are so they could make sure his accounts are secure and safe.

Today (Thursday), a large group of volunteers from the Sheriff’s Office as well as firefighters from Station 24 and recruits from the current basic law enforcement academy showed up at the Rock Harbor Drive home to clean it up in anticipation of his future return.