Whatcom man arrested for alleged elder abuse; 71-year-old woman hospitalized
A Blaine man was arrested over the weekend for alleged elder abuse that hospitalized a 71-year-old Blaine woman.
Robert William Savage, 52, was arrested Saturday, April 3, on suspicion of first-degree criminal mistreatment and a warrant for an unrelated burglary case. Formal charges have not yet been filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, according to court records.
Savage is currently incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bond or $2,000 cash bail.
His arraignment is scheduled for April 16.
On April 1, Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a trailer in the 7300 block of Jackson Road near Blaine for a welfare check of a 71-year-old woman. The woman’s son had called 911 after both he and the woman’s granddaughter had not heard from the woman since mid-March, according to court records.
When deputies arrived at the woman’s trailer, they spoke with Savage outside, who also lives in the trailer and takes care of the woman. Savage allegedly told deputies the woman was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her, according to court records. Deputies had no reason to doubt Savage and left, the court records show.
After the welfare check, the woman’s granddaughter called Savage and asked to speak to the woman. When the granddaughter attempted to speak to the woman, the woman made “a single groan,” the records state.
The following day, April 2, the woman’s son and granddaughter went to the woman’s trailer to check on her, where they found her lying face down on the floor, according to court records.
Medical personnel were called to the scene and the woman was taken to the hospital due to concerns related to bedsores, the court records state.
When the woman’s son and granddaughter entered the trailer, they found Savage asleep and it took the pair 15 minutes to wake him, according to court records. When asked why he didn’t help the woman, Savage allegedly told the pair he couldn’t pick her up, the records show.
A doctor who evaluated the woman told deputies it’s possible that she had burns on the front of her body. The doctor told deputies that the woman could have been on the floor between one and four days, according to court records. The woman was admitted to the hospital due to the severity of her injuries, which were listed as elder abuse, the court records state.
The woman was in satisfactory condition as of Tuesday evening, according to a PeaceHealth St. Joseph hospital spokesperson.
Records show sheriff’s deputies had responded to the woman’s trailer before, on March 28, after Savage had allegedly told a friend the woman had been lying on the ground for four days.
The friend went to the woman’s home, found her on the ground and called 911. Fire personnel responded, helped the woman up and a report was made to Adult Protective Services, according to court records.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
