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Executive Director of Assisted Living Facility Arrested

By: JML Law | August 3, 2017.
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On Friday July 21, 2017 a former executive director of an assisted living facility was arrested for involuntary manslaughter charges related to a dementia patient’s death from 2014. Gary Potts was the executive director of Meadow Lake Senior Living Facility until his arrest. A letter was sent to the families of the assisted living facility informing them of the arrest and allegations. A Los Angeles elder abuse attorney should be contacted immediately if you fear your loved one is being abused at an assisted living facility or other residents are suffering. It can become a matter of life and death.

Involuntary Manslaughter

The charges are for elder and dependent abuse as well as involuntary manslaughter. There are felony charges with the case being filed on July 19. There was a criminal investigation launched back in 2015. The investigation included Gary Potts who was a former administrator as well as Christopher Skiff who was the owner of the facility at the time. The reason behind the allegations is caused because of the death of a former patient. The facility and named plaintiffs allegedly knowingly and willfully endangered the life of Mauricio’s Cardenas. Reports say that Cardenas was not a suitable resident of the Manse on the Marsh Assisted Living Facility. Bail for Potts was set at $250,000.

Dementia Death

In December of 2014, a patient named Mauricio Cardenas, 65, wander off and out of the facility and was hit by a vehicle. He suffered from dementia and was knowingly admitted to an unlocked assisted living community. There was no dementia waiver associated with the facility to have dementia patients admitted. The initial complaint letter alleges that the executive director convinced Cardenas’ car physician to alter documents so he could be admitted into an unlocked assisted living community. There was a recorded history of Mauricio having issues while being a resident including wandering off. He was known to refuse medication, consume alcohol and leaving the building. The sheriff’s office requested that the facility add a GPS device because of his repeated escapades into the community.

Starting New

After the incident at Marsh Assisted Living Facility, Potts was living in South Carolina. Authorities knew he had a home in Tennessee and Potts agreed to inform the court if he was to relocate. He moved to Texas and did not inform the court of his move. He was already under investigation at this point. He attempted to start new as the executive director at Meadow Lake Senior Living Facility. When a background check was run the records came back clean. He was hired in late March and was arrested in July after several years of investigation. This is concerning for the assisted living facility as well as the residents’ families. It makes everyone wonder how he was able to slip through the cracks and become a director while under investigation for manslaughter. The families may want to conduct their own investigation into the facility and the staff by an experienced Los Angeles elder abuse attorney.

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