WEST YORK, Pa. (WHTM) – A York County woman is accused of leaving an elderly disabled woman and a blind dog in a filthy home with no food or water.
Jennifer M. Dorsey, 40, is charged with neglect of care for a dependent person, reckless endangerment, and cruelty to animals.
West York police said they were called to Dorsey’s home in the 1300 block of West Poplar Street on Monday after a neighbor reported the dog was constantly barking and she hadn’t seen anyone entering or leaving the home for three days.
An officer who entered the home said trash was scattered throughout the house and the odor from dog feces in the living room, dining room and kitchen was almost unbearable.
The elderly woman, the grandmother of Dorsey’s husband, was lying on her back in a bed covered with her own feces, and she appeared to have been lying in the same position for more than a day. The woman was malnourished and frail, no food or water was accessible from the bedroom, and no food was found in the refrigerators, the officer wrote in a criminal complaint.
Dorsey admitted to police that she lived with the woman but had been staying with a family member in Shrewsbury. She said the last time she saw the woman was on Friday.
She said her son had been checking on the woman and he last visited the house at 8 p.m. that day. Police noted they were at the house and trying to locate the homeowner at that time.
The elderly woman was taken to York Hospital where she was in stable condition but confused, police said.
Dorsey’s dog was placed in the custody of the SPCA. A codes enforcement officers condemned the home because of its condition.
Dorsey was sent to York County Prison on $15,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 13.Get breaking news, weather and traffic on the go. Download our News App and our Weather App for your phone and tablet.