Background: Boyce Street in Spring Hill, Florida, where Jason Thomas Russell lived with his mother (Google Maps). Inset: Jason Thomas Russell (Hernando County Detention Center).
A Florida man faces felony neglect charges after his mother was found in “deplorable” condition and later died.
Jason Thomas Russell, aged 47, resided with and was the main caregiver for his 79-year-old mother in Spring Hill. An arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime revealed that he contacted 911 on September 18 when he observed a bleeding wound on her elbow and was uncertain if she was conscious. The report mentioned that he informed dispatchers that her “eyes were open, and she was snoring and gurgling.”
Upon their ambulance arrival at the hospital, medical staff noted that his mother was in “deplorable physical condition,” with “multiple open sores,” covered in human waste, and “infested with maggots,” according to police reports.
Before Russell and his mother departed their home for the hospital, the affidavit mentioned that Russell “did not make any statements” to the first responders at the scene. Fire Rescue personnel reportedly witnessed Russell returning to the garage to retrieve a “bottle of liquor.” Additionally, he allegedly “would not let them” enter the house to collect the woman’s medications.
The affidavit indicated that once she was placed in the ambulance, Russell went back inside the house and refused to exit, instructing the sheriff’s deputies to “get a search warrant.” When he eventually emerged, deputies advised him that the home needed to be secured as a crime scene, at which point Russell allegedly became “uncooperative.” His purported noncompliance resulted in him being handcuffed.
When questioned by the police about how his mother reached her current state, Russell stated that she “did not let him touch her or assist her.” The police conveyed to Russell that his mother was “rotting,” suggesting that her deterioration was ongoing for some time. Russell informed the police that her condition had worsened over the past six months, and she “refused” to go to the hospital.
The Tampa Free Press reported that Russell’s mother died on Sept. 20, after Russell was charged with abuse and neglect of an elderly person and resisting an officer without violence. The State Attorney’s Office will now decide whether Russell will face upgraded charges.
Russell is currently in custody at the Hernando County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 22.
