Whether it is a police officer, the IT guy at your office or school, or the people you have entrusted to care for your elderly loved one, there is an expectation that those given authority over you, your loved ones or your information will take that sacred trust seriously. That was not the case in these three crime stories from this week.
Case 1: Elder Abuse in Milledgeville
Unfortunately, nursing homes are a common setting for abuse of authority, and many elderly residents spend their last days in deplorable conditions as a result. According to The Macon Telegraph, two nursing home workers were caught on camera repeatedly abusing an 89 year old man. The man’s family became suspicious of his treatment at the home and installed a hidden camera which caught the two attendants hitting him in the face to get his dentures back in while he was recovering from pneumonia. The patient later died of natural causes.
Case 2: The IT Guy Did It
It is a standard practice on college campuses for students to work in the network services or information technology departments at their school. When students are entrusted with this level of authority, it is expected they will wield it responsibly and not do something sinister like change their grades. That’s not what happened with one student at the University of Georgia, according to The Red & Black. The student was arrested for hacking into a professor’s account and changing his grades. The Clarke County Police charged him with 80 felony charges and no extra credit for his efforts to improve his grades.
Case 3: Sgt. Purse Snatcher
A police sergeant in Ellijay arrested a woman and took her to jail, but kept her purse for further “investigation.” Upon searching the suspects purse, the officer found a money order that he decided to keep and cash for himself. He is, of course, no longer on the force. Was the $150 he cashed out worth the end of a long and illustrious career in law enforcement?
