Man held on elder abuse charges

Police said he operated unlicensed care facility

A medical aid call at an address in the 1600 block of West Mccomb Avenue in Porterville led to the arrest of a Porterville man on several counts of elder abuse, police said Tuesday.

Juan Ledesma, 66, of Porterville, and believed the owner of the home, is being held on $1 million bail.

Porterville Police Department Lt. Dominic Barteau said firefighters and ambulance personnel were called to the home Monday morning for an ill elderly female. He said a witness approached those first responders and “made allegations of elder abuse.”

Detectives were called to the home and assumed the investigation. In that investigation and interviews with employees, it was determined that three elderly men and an elderly female were being improperly cared for with allegations of abuse.

All four elderly residents, who Barteau said were all in their 90s, were eventually removed from the home. They were taken to Sierra View Medical Center for medical evaluations and then Adult Protective Services placed them in new care facilities.

Barteau said the investigation is just beginning and the Tulare County Department of Health and the state Department of Welfare Services are both involved. He said they had not yet determined how long the facility had been operating.

The street on which the house is located is a residential neighborhood west of Newcomb Street. Barteau said they had not yet found out if the homeowner even had a business license.

He said there is a small sign on the front door, but “anytime you have a care facility you have to be licensed by the Department of Health Services.”

As for the bail, Barteau said police asked for an “enhanced” amount due to the severity of the crime.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact Det. Orlando Ortiz at 782-7400.