A Phoenix group home caregiver has been charged with vulnerable adult abuse after prosecutors say he stuffed a washcloth into the mouth of a nonverbal man with cerebral palsy and secured it with two tied-together socks, leaving the victim unable to breathe freely or call for help.
Mark Sampson appeared in court last week facing a class 2 felony charge of vulnerable adult abuse under circumstances likely to produce death or serious physical injury. The charge follows an alleged incident on 19 March at a group home for people with disabilities in Phoenix.
What Prosecutors Say Happened on 19 March
Ryan Dill, assistant attorney general with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, described the scene to the court in stark terms. ‘There was a washcloth stuffed in the victim’s mouth, and two socks were tied together around the victim’s head to the point where it left red marks on the victim’s face,’ Dill said.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Sampson then pulled blankets over the victim. The man could not remove the gag himself because extreme contracture of his arms and hands left him with little or no use of his fine motor skills. Being nonverbal, he had no means of calling for help.
The gag also impeded the victim’s ability to breathe, according to court paperwork cited by ABC15 Arizona. Staff at the group home subsequently discovered him and took him to a local hospital, where he was treated for abrasions around the outside of his mouth and ligature marks on the sides of his neck.
‘The most vulnerable members of society, namely an individual who is afflicted with cerebral palsy, he is non-ambulatory and nonverbal,’ Dill told the court. ‘His arms are contracted in such a way that he can’t even move and he cannot make a noise.’
Dill added: ‘Pictures show the victim absolutely terrified. This is an incredibly egregious violation of human dignity and the law.’
Phoenix Group Home Caregiver Denies the Allegations
Sampson was arrested and formally charged on 24 June. He has denied gagging the victim, telling the court he believes the accusation was manufactured to cost him his job. ‘Some sort of setup,’ he said during his court appearance last week.
He is currently being held on a $25,000 secured bond.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case directly, rather than referring it to a local district attorney. The office handles cases involving vulnerable adults across the state and has specialist prosecutors for elder and disability abuse matters.
The Legal Framework for Vulnerable Adult Abuse in Arizona
Under Arizona law, vulnerable adult abuse likely to produce death or serious physical injury carries classification as a class 2 felony, the most serious category of felony below a class 1 designation. A conviction on that charge carries the prospect of a substantial custodial term.
The victim’s condition placed him in a position of near-total dependence on his caregiver. Certified caregivers working in licensed group homes in Arizona are regulated under state oversight frameworks governing residential facilities for people with disabilities. Sampson held certified caregiver status at the time of the alleged offence, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The case highlights the vulnerability of residents in supported-living settings who rely entirely on staff for their safety and welfare. Where a resident is non-ambulatory, nonverbal, and unable to manipulate objects because of contracture, a caregiver’s physical acts go effectively unchecked without third-party oversight or monitoring.
Prosecutors say the photographic evidence gathered in this case, including images of the victim’s condition when discovered and the marks left on his face and neck, forms a central part of the state’s case against Sampson.
Subject to any further procedural developments, Sampson’s next court appearance will determine the progression of the proceedings. The ABC15 Arizona report on the initial appearance confirmed that the state is pressing ahead with the class 2 felony count.
