Tribune staff reports

A 40-year-old man faces a neglect of a dependent charge in connection with the care of his relative who has been living with him, police report.

Brian Lee Ault of Seymour was arrested Thursday morning on the Level 3 felony by Seymour police.

Detective C.J. Foster said the incident that led to Ault’s arrest began when police and other emergency personnel responded to a report on June 24 of a woman who had fallen at a home in the 600 block of Noble Street.

The woman was treated at the scene and taken to Schneck Medical Center, Foster said.

He said after an examination of the woman, doctors told him she was malnourished, severely dehydrated and suffering from an acute kidney injury.

The woman also was dirty, her mouth was completely dry and she was unable to swallow, Foster added

“The doctors described her as the epitome of a severely neglected individual,” Foster said.

He also was told by doctors her condition did not occur in a short period but was an accumulation of neglect.

When police visited the home, they discovered that the room the woman had been sleeping in was infested with bedbugs, had improper bedding and was soaked with urine, Foster said.

Ault was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 10:04 a.m. Thursday and was being held without bond pending his initial appearance in Jackson Circuit Court.

A Level 3 felony is punishable by three to 16 years in prison if convicted.