The man who is accused of abandoning his 71-year-old mother with dementia went to Italy after leaving her in an East Point motel, police said Friday.
An active warrant is out for Stephen Haupert, 52, although police do not know where he is, Detective Ebony Johnson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Johnson said she talked to Haupert, who lives in the U.S. Virgin Islands, on Friday. “He didn’t tell us” where he is, though Johnson said she was aware he had been posting on Facebook from Italy.
The warrant charges Haupert with exploitation and intimidation of the elderly. More charges are possible, Johnson said.
Kathleen Laree was found wandering in the lobby of the Motel 6 on Virginia Avenue, Channel 2 Action News reported. Motel employees called 911 and told police that Haupert, checked her in, paid for one night (Sept. 25) and left, according to the news station.
Laree is now in state protective services, police said.
Meanwhile, someone who knows Laree and Haupert in the Caribbean contacted The AJC after learning of her situation.
“I was becoming more and more concerned as her memory became worse,” Michelle Grimes said in an email. “Kathleen has never been to a doctor on the island and she doesn't know she has dementia or Alzheimer's.”
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