The Jefferson County grand jury has delivered an indictment against 46-year-old Alan Roy Hartzel for first-degree injury of the elderly. This indictment will allow the district attorney’s office to pursue a criminal case in his mother’s death.
The charges come in the wake of the death of 74-year-old Jean Gordon Hartzel. Alan made a 911 call on February 21, at the time he was the sole caregiver for his mother in their home on the 2900 block of Fifth Street.
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After arriving at the home to help with the woman, the emergency medical services immediately called the Port Arthur Police Department to investigate the situation. Shortly after, they had issued a warrant for Hartzel.
When the paramedics arrived at the scene, Jean was still alive. They were able to get her to the hospital, but she died shortly after arriving. They described the scene the woman was retrieved from as severely unsanitary. Her bed was covered in feces and other bodily substances, according to the reports.
While at the hospital, police included in the report that the physician indicated that Jean was severely dehydrated and malnourished. A sizeable open bedsore was found on her body. The nurses told police that this type of bedsore was from lack of medical care. The woman was unresponsive when she came in.
The medical personnel advised that this type of neglect had to have been going on for weeks for her to be in the condition she was in.
At this time Hartzel remains in jail on a $500,000 bond.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.