An Augusta woman charged with exploitation and neglect of her disabled father, who was suffering from bone-exposing bedsores, was denied bond Thursday, May 11.
Dianna Laws, 38, has pleaded not guilty to charges of exploitation or intimidation of a disabled or elderly adult and two counts of neglect of an vulnerable adult.
The prosecutors are awaiting autopsy reports before deciding if the charges should include murder, Assistant District Attorney William Hammond said Thursday during Laws’ Richmond County Superior Court bond hearing.
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Laws called for an ambulance Dec. 5, 2021, because she noticed “a rash” on her father, 62-year-old Bobby Laws.
Laws couldn’t speak and was given a 10% chance of survival. He had multiple pressure wounds on his body, including two at stage 4, the most severe and life-threatening, on his buttocks and foot. In addition to exposing the bone and muscle, the pressure sore on his left foot had cause the foot to turn black and purple, and the foot had to be amputated, Hammond said.
Laws, who had lost over 100 pounds since he was released from the hospital in August 2021, only survived five more days in December, Hammond said. The investigator on the case discovered Laws took out a $10,000 life insurance policy on her father just days before his last hospitalization, Hammond said.
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Laws said she had been her father’s caretaker for several years. He was hospitalized from April 2021 to Aug. 3 when he was released back into her care after an Adult Protective Services caseworker said the daughter could provide adequate care, Hammond said.
Laws has prior convictions for drugs and theft.
Judge Ashley Wright denied bond Thursday, finding Laws could pose a danger to others and the community. If the charges are not upgraded against her, Wright told Laws’ defense attorney she could ask for another bond hearing if steps are also taken to ensure Laws would have a place to live and treatment for mental health and drug use.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
