Man accused of abandoning mother arrested

Suspect in Miami will face felony charges in Atlanta.

Stephen Haupert, who brought his 71-year-old mother to Atlanta to escape Hurricane Irma — and allegedly abandoned her — was arrested Saturday in Miami, police said.

He is expected to be extradited to Atlanta to face felony charges, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Haupert took off to Italy shortly after paying for one night’s stay at the Motel 6 on Virginia Avenue in East Point, police said. That was Sept. 25.

Kathleen Laree, Haupert’s dementia-stricken mother, was found shortly thereafter wandering in the hotel lobby, and the staff called 911.

Laree has been in state protective services since and police have been trying to track Haupert down.

East Point Detective Ebony Johnson said she contacted Haupert shortly after his mother was found wandering, but he told police he’d done nothing wrong.

He “basically said she’s a big girl and can take care of herself,” Johnson said.

A neighbor in the Virgin Islands reached out after reading the news.

“I was becoming more and more concerned as her memory became worse,” Michelle Grimes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email. “Kathleen has never been to a doctor on the island and she doesn’t know she has dementia or Alzheimer’s.”

Police in Miami found Haupert during a routine traffic stop Saturday night, according to Channel 2.

Haupert faces charges of exploitation and intimidation of the elderly.