A Waterloo couple has been arrested for allegedly failing to care for an adult dependent, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. 51 year old Jerry Richards-Trask and 40 year old Sunshine Trask were charged with Intentional Dependent Adult Abuse. Richards-Trask’s 66 year old sister was diagnosed with a mental illness as a child and was cared for by their mother until the mother passed away in 2015. At that time Richards-Trask took over guardianship. On January 11th paramedics were called to the home where they found the woman on the floor covered in urine and feces. She was taken to the hospital where doctors found she was suffering from bed sores that went almost to the bone. She was also suffering from COVID-19 and sepsis. Doctors determined her condition resulted from sitting in a chair or lying in a bed for months without access to repositioning, adequate hygiene, or regular medical care. Measures have been taken to find an alternate guardian. Richards-Trask and Trask have been released pending trial.
