(Memphis) An elderly Frayser woman says her caretaker turned out to be a terror. Patricia Toutio says it felt like she was being held hostage in her own home for years. Memphis police arrested Robert Harmon recently on drug charges but he could possibly face other charges as well.
Harmon was arrested May 7 with meth and hydrocodone pills on Joel Street but just around the corner lives an elderly woman who says he has been terrorizing her for years as her caregiver.
“It reached a point where he was so violent that I was scared for my life,” said Patricia.
She can speak about it now because her caregiver is in jail, “He had a crow bar swinging at my head and missed it by inches.”
She says three holes in her wall are what’s left of Robert Harmon’s rage, a man who, Patricia says, wanted more money.
“How much was he stealing?” asked Hall.
“Everything he could,” said Toutio.
She says her caregiver had been stealing from her for years, “At first he was sneaking about stealing from me. Towards the end, he blatantly almost strong-armed robbing me. He went in my purse, took all my cash and then said ‘what you going to do about it?’”
The day she says Harmon swung a crowbar at her. He was picked up hours later by police allegedly with crystal meth and some of Patricia’s stolen pain pills. After he was locked up, Patricia says she found out Harmon used her pin number to wipe out her bank account, “It’s horrifying and the bank says they might not cover what he took. He took it in the middle of the night.”
While Patricia can’t drive because she’s legally blind and has trouble doing household chores after suffering from two strokes, she says she’d rather rely on the church or live alone than live with a caretaker who only cares for himself, “I am just blessed I wasn’t murdered.”
If you are someone who relies on a caregiver, experts say as soon as you see signs of trouble, contact the police or Adult Protective Services. For information how to find a new caregiver and other resources, click here http://www.agingcommission.org/home0.aspx