Police: Boone County parents charged with neglect of disabled man
LEBANON, Ind. (WISH) — After a monthslong investigation, Lebanon police have arrested the parents of 23-year-old man. The couple is charged them with exploitation and neglect of a dependent. According to court documents, the arrest came just in time.
“He is very lucky to be alive. He was found in the nick of time,” said Brandon Maxwell’s grandmother, Cheryl Toney.
Maxwell was born with spina bifida and requires a great deal of attention. His grandparents, Danny and Cheryl Toney, took control of his care in April. They say he had been living in a house on the southside of Lebanon with his parents, Bridget Toney and Lloyd Maxwell, until police showed up.
“They had to move him off the bed to get him on the gurney, and when they pulled the blankets and stuff back, it was just an awful sight. They about got sick … it’s pretty hard to talk about,” said Danny Toney.
According to court documents, police found Brandon Maxwell covered from the waist down in his own urine and feces. Bugs and maggots had infested his body and bed linens. The smell of rotting flesh and feces permeated the entire house.
Brandon was barely breathing and doctors didn’t think he would live long. He was taken to an Indianapolis hospital where doctors initially recommended everything below his navel should be amputated. At one point, doctors recommended end of life care.
“The bugs ate almost 40% of his lower body,” Cheryl Toney said.
“Part of his rear end is gone. We have had to have his right leg amputated,” Danny Toney added.
The investigation took months to complete. Lebanon Police arrested the parents last week. The grandparents had not spoken to their daughter, Brandon’s mother, in months.
“I just can’t find anything to say to her,” said Danny Toney.
The 16-page police report is heartbreaking to read. Brandon Maxwell had been left to essentially care for himself, with little to no attention from his parents.
Brandon Maxwell receives a monthly disability check and his parents used the money, according to his grandparents, for everything except his care.
Danny Toney hadn’t seen his grandson in a year or more. He says there was always an excuse to keep family away from him.
“I want to see them punished. It is bad saying you want to see your kid go to jail — we are saving a grandson. If they have to go to jail to save him, yes, I do want to see them go to jail,” said Danny Toney.
Brandon Maxwell is in a rehab hospital. Doctors have removed one leg. Over the past couple of months, he has gained 25 pounds. He’s expected to leave rehab in a few months.
His father, Lloyd Maxwell, is being held in the Boone County Jail. His mother has posted bail.