Man Arrested in Los Gatos on Suspicion of Elder Abuse

A man was arrested on charges of elder abuse last Saturday afternoon in east Los Gatos.

Gary Williams, 55, was taken into custody at 3:30 p.m. April 20 by Los Gatos/Monte Sereno police at a residence on South Kennedy Road.

He was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of elder mistreatment, a court order violation, prohibiting use of a phone line, destruction of a phone line and willful obstruction or resisting arrest, according to a police report.

Elder abuse and neglect is defined as intentional actions that cause harm or create a serious risk of harm (whether or not harm is intended) to a vulnerable elder older than 65 years of age by a caregiver or other person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder, police said.

Authorities say it's unknown the exact number of seniors facing elder mistreatment and that, unfortunately, a high number of cases go undetected each year.

The National Center on Elder Abuse reports that one study found the vast majority of abusers are family members, about 90 percent, most often adult children, spouses, partners, and others.

According to the California penal code, elder abuse can be prosecuted as a felony or a misdemeanor. If found guilty, punishment can be up to one year in county jail and a fine of thousands of dollars. If prosecuted as a felony, the defendant may be sentenced to state prison for two to four years.