Hyde Park Woman Accused Of Mistreating Elderly Woman In Her Care

HYDE PARK, NY — A Hyde Park woman was arrested after being accused of failing to properly care for an elderly woman placed in her home to live.

The Town of Hyde Park Police Department said, around 5:45 p.m. April 18, officers were sent to a Roosevelt Road address in the town for a welfare check reporting an elderly woman in the roadway.

When they got there, officers saw the woman wearing an adult diaper which was attached to her body by duct tape.

Police said the tape was applied so that it affected the woman’s blood circulation.

Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and treated the woman who was then taken to MidHudson Regional Hospital with serious injuries.

An investigation found that the elderly woman was in the care of Tiffany L. Lawrence, 28, of Hyde Park, police said, through a foster program sponsored by Lutheran Care Center of Poughkeepsie.

The program assists with placement of elderly people who require non-medical living assistance.

It was determined the elderly woman was living in deplorable conditions, police said, and was being neglected by Lawrence.

The elderly woman was removed from Lawrence’s care and custody, according to authorities.

During the investigation, police said a 2-year-old German shepherd and golden retriever mix dog was found to be in very poor condition and also appeared to be mistreated and malnourished.

The dog was seized by Chief Humane Law Officer Kim McNamee from the Dutchess County SPCA.

On Tuesday, Lawrence was taken into custody and charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, a felony, and was released with an appearance ticket.

She was set to return to the Town of Hyde Park Justice Court Thursday.

Hyde Park police were assisted by the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, Roosevelt Fire District/EMS, Northern Dutchess Paramedics and the Dutchess County SPCA.