The attorney representing three defendants accused of transporting an 85-year-old Los Angeles woman across the country against her will before she was found in a cabin at an Edgecomb motor court refuted allegations of elderly abuse levied against his clients.
“This story is being completely overblown by police,” said Richard Elliot, attorney for Barbara Davis, 41, her twin brother Nicholas Davis, and their 20-year-old godson Jonathan Stevens.
The defendants face a felony charge each of endangering the welfare of a dependent person. They are also suspected of gaining control over the woman’s money and accounts. Released on $10,000 bail, the three are due in court on Sept. 29.
Elliot said his clients have known the Los Angeles woman, whose name has been released only as Sarah, for over 20 years. They met as neighbors while in California before becoming close friends, Elliot said.
“Nicholas has considered her his grandma,” Elliot said. He added that they knew Sarah’s mother, who lived with her for some years.
Elliot dismissed police reports that the Sarah was “taken” from Los Angeles by his clients, asserting instead that she moved in with Barbara Davis after her home burned down.
“It is because of my clients that she had a place to live,” Elliot said.
Elliot’s claims contradict previous reports that Sarah had sold her home in Los Angeles for $600,000 before moving into an apartment complex and eventually meeting the defendants in 2008.
Elliot also denied police allegations that Sarah was driven across country from California to Maine at all. Elliot said his clients and Sarah traveled to Maine by plane and that she was free to come and go as she pleased.
“Sarah made the choice to go,” Elliot said.
Though he could not explain the divergent accounts of the police and his clients, Elliot said Sarah’s account of what happened may not be fully known at this time. He said relatives of his clients have gone to speak with Sarah on their behalf, but have been turned away.
While maintaining his clients’ innocence, Elliot has also claimed they have been the victims of police harassment. He points to an incident on July 31 when his clients, who were traveling with relatives at the time, were pulled over by officers of the Rumford Police Department on Hancock Street in Rumford for a broken tail light.
Nicholas Davis was arrested and jailed overnight for operating under a suspended license from Arizona and violating the terms of his bail. Elliot said the license was valid and only came up suspended due to a computer glitch at the Arizona Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Elliot alleges the police were heard conspiring to arrest Barbara Davis and her relatives, but ultimately could not find any suitable reason for doing so. Nicholas was released the next day.
“I’m pretty sure they were being shaken down by the police,” Elliot said. He said his clients would be issuing a complaint and will begin the process of filing a lawsuit.
When asked to comment on the allegations, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Det. Robert McFetridge said he wasn’t aware of the circumstances of the Rumford arrest, except that Nicholas Davis was arrested for violating the conditions of his bail. He added that he found it hard to believe that anyone would have been pulled over or arrested for anything other than probable cause.
A representative of the Rumford Police Department, Sgt. James Bernard, declined to comment on the allegations but said that all police stops are recorded.
McFetridge said information gleaned from Sarah, the three defendants and supporting documentation indicates that the accused commandeered and stole from Sarah’s finances. He noted that he was still gathering evidence.
Sarah remains at Miles Memorial Hospital, where she was taken after being found alone in a rented cabin, July 12. Authorities are currently looking for a place for her to stay after she is released from the hospital.
According to Kim Thiboutot, who helped rescue Sarah from the cabin and has since befriended her, Sarah’s health and spirits have improved.
“She’s a spitfire,” said Thiboutot, adding that Sarah was eager to speak with the press and tell her side of the story as soon as she was able.