MURRAY, Utah, July 12, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A 66-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault or abuse of a disabled or elderly adult, intentional, after police say he left a disabled woman in a hot vehicle, unable to move herself, after an argument.
The incident happened on Friday in Murray, according to a probable cause statement filed by an officer of the Murray Police Department. Richard Young is charged with the second-degree felony.
According to the statement, Young told the officer he had an argument with the woman, turned off the car, took the key, and said “Have a nice life” as he walked away.
“The victim is completely physically disabled, unable to get out of her electronic wheelchair or disconnect it from the vehicle. The chair was locked into the vehicle with straps. The temperature was 96 degrees, none of the windows were down, and the victim was left in the vehicle for between 15 and 20 minutes before Fire was able to remove her from the vehicle,” the statement says.
The victim said she becomes paralyzed by her MS at high temperatures.
She was treated by officials from the fire department and was given fluids, ice packs to cool her and a wet towel.
“Fire stated the temperature inside the vehicle was very hot by the time they managed to remove the victim from inside,” the probable cause affidavit states.
