Couple accused of neglecting elderly woman may avoid jail after pleas

Nov 09, 2023

Genesee County Circuit Courthouse on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in downtown Flint. (Jake May | MLive.com)

FLINT, MI – A boyfriend and girlfriend have taken pleas in the case of an elderly woman authorities previously said they had severely neglected.

Letisha Rochelle Miller and Sylvester Allen Ross, both 43, appeared before visiting Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Richard D. Ball Thursday, June 8, and pleaded guilty to vulnerable adult abuse charges.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to single counts of second-degree vulnerable adult abuse, which were reduced from the original charges of first-degree vulnerable adult abuse.

According to online court records, the pleas include sentence agreement for no upfront jail time.

Miller will be given a term of probation and, if she completes it without issue, the felony she pleaded guilty to will be replaced with a misdemeanor offense.

She is scheduled for sentencing before Ball on July 19.

Ross also pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting/obstructing/resisting police causing injury, disarming a police officer, and two counts of assaulting/obstructing/resisting police from a separate case.

Ross’ plea requires he complete mental health court, in which case the felony will be reduced to a misdemeanor.

He is scheduled to appear before Ball again on July 5 for sentencing.

The couple's case stems from early 2022.

Authorities previously said the victim — the mother of one of the defendants — was neglected for months. She was found on a urine-soaked mattress in a home officials said had no heat, plumbing or water for at least two months.

The investigation began in January, when paramedics responded to the home the woman was staying in for a medical call.

When medical attention was given to the victim, healthcare workers had to partially soak her in saline to remove bed fabric that had become attached to her hips, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said previously.

Officials said all the food in the home was beyond six months expired. In a video shown during a news conference announcing charges against Ross and Miller, buckets of urine were visible and the sound of deputies gagging could be heard in the background.

The mattress officials said the victim was lying in when they responded to the home also had mold visible on it and was stained with urine, according to the sheriff's office.

Miller is free on a personal recognizance bond. Ross is lodged without bond.