Birch Bay man arrested for alleged elder abuse

A Birch Bay man was arrested April 3 for alleged elder abuse after a 71-year-old woman’s son and granddaughter found her lying face down on the floor in her own feces.

Robert William Savage, 52, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree criminal mistreatment along with a warrant for an unrelated burglary case, according to the affidavit of probable cause (APC) filed by the Whatcom County prosecuting attorney’s office.

Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 7000 block of Jackson Road after the woman’s son requested a welfare check. The woman’s son and granddaughter had not heard from the woman since mid-March, according to the affidavit.

Savage, who lives in the trailer and takes care of the woman, spoke with the deputies when they arrived. He allegedly told deputies the woman was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her. The affidavit says deputies had no reason to doubt Savage and left.

The woman’s granddaughter then called Savage and asked to speak to the woman. Over the phone, the woman made “a single groan,” according to the APC.

The woman’s son and granddaughter visited the trailer the following day, April 2, and found the woman lying face down on the floor wearing a nightgown that was soiled in her own feces and urine while Savage slept.

Medical personnel were called to the scene and the woman was taken to the hospital for concerns of septic and dehydration. The woman was in satisfactory condition as of April 8, according to a PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center spokesperson.

It took the woman’s son and granddaughter 15 minutes to wake Savage. When asked why he didn’t help the woman, Savage allegedly said he couldn’t pick her up.

A doctor who examined the woman at the hospital told deputies it was possible the woman had burns on her body and could have been on the floor between one and four days, according to the affidavit. She was admitted to the hospital due to her injuries and condition, and the doctor listed her diagnosis as elder abuse.

The affidavit says deputies had responded to the woman’s trailer on March 28, after Savage told a friend the woman had been lying on the ground for four days. The friend called 911, and first responders helped the woman.The case was forwarded to Adult Protective Services, according to the affidavit.

Savage is being held in Whatcom County Jail in lieu of a $23,000 bond with the criminal mistreatment and unrelated burglary charge, according to the jail roster. His arraignment is scheduled for April 16.