Answers sought after autistic man wanders away from drunk caretaker
BELLEVUE, Wash. -- It began as a Saturday night mystery. An autistic man was found wandering the streets alone, shoeless and dirty.
A diaper hung around his waist while grass littered his mouth and teeth.
"He was wearing pull-ups, barefoot, pretty dirty," said Biliana Erdelean, who called police after finding the man on her lawn. "He seemed really lost. He couldn't speak. We realized he was mentally disabled, but were trying to figure out where he lives."
Police also couldn't place the 34-year-old man, found in the 6400 block of 131st Ave. SE around 6:30 p.m. They snapped a photo, and sent it to media outlets and patrol units. They took the man to Overlake Hospital, where he was classified as John Doe.
Eventually, an officer within the Bellevue Police Department recognized the man from a previous missing persons report. Officers went to his last known address -- a "supported living facility," as is called by the state.
Officers found the home in disarray. Broken glass peppered the living room floor and large knife sat, unsecured, in the kitchen.
"The toilet was filthy and clogged, and a bottle of hand sanitizer was found in the microwave," said the police report. "An additional patient …was found in his bedroom holding a pillow over his head."
Police found the facility's caretaker sleeping on the couch.
"I could smell the strong odor of alcohol on his breath," the police report said. The caretaker - identified by police as Benson M. Mbichire - told investigators he had had four cans of alcohol. "He later blew (a blood alcohol level) of 0.136," said the report.
Mbichire was arrested on the spot. Prosecutors charged him with abandonment of a dependent person in the third degree.
The news didn't reach the autistic man's family until Monday.
"Right now, we're not happy with what happened," said the man's sister. "I told them (my parents) we need to pursue further action. I want to go after the person who let my brother out.
"He doesn't understand (anything). He isn't able to express himself."
At the home in the 13100 block of SE 66th street Tuesday, a man who identified himself as the caretaker of the home said Mbichire had been fired. The company that runs the facility, Service Alternatives, would not confirm his termination.
"I am familiar (with the case), but I'm not able to comment," said Lyndee Breece, an administrator with the company. "We're conducting an internal investigation along with the police department."
Mbichire did not answer the door at his Kent apartment Tuesday afternoon. State records show he is a registered nursing assistant who has been licensed with the state since March 2006. Two complaints have been filed against him in that time, but none have resulted in any action, said Donn Moyer with the state Department of Health.
Moyer added that in light of Saturday's incident, DOH investigators have opened a new case.
For the woman who found the autistic man, the incident tugged at her heartstrings, especially since she runs her own adult care facility out of her home.
"That's really unfortunate, because (the caretaker) should really be more responsible and know where people that he cares for are all the time," Erdelean said. "You want the man to be safe. You don't want him to just wander off and nobody knows where he was."
Mbichire is scheduled to be arraigned on July 12.
A diaper hung around his waist while grass littered his mouth and teeth.
"He was wearing pull-ups, barefoot, pretty dirty," said Biliana Erdelean, who called police after finding the man on her lawn. "He seemed really lost. He couldn't speak. We realized he was mentally disabled, but were trying to figure out where he lives."
Police also couldn't place the 34-year-old man, found in the 6400 block of 131st Ave. SE around 6:30 p.m. They snapped a photo, and sent it to media outlets and patrol units. They took the man to Overlake Hospital, where he was classified as John Doe.
Eventually, an officer within the Bellevue Police Department recognized the man from a previous missing persons report. Officers went to his last known address -- a "supported living facility," as is called by the state.
Officers found the home in disarray. Broken glass peppered the living room floor and large knife sat, unsecured, in the kitchen.
"The toilet was filthy and clogged, and a bottle of hand sanitizer was found in the microwave," said the police report. "An additional patient …was found in his bedroom holding a pillow over his head."
Police found the facility's caretaker sleeping on the couch.
"I could smell the strong odor of alcohol on his breath," the police report said. The caretaker - identified by police as Benson M. Mbichire - told investigators he had had four cans of alcohol. "He later blew (a blood alcohol level) of 0.136," said the report.
Mbichire was arrested on the spot. Prosecutors charged him with abandonment of a dependent person in the third degree.
The news didn't reach the autistic man's family until Monday.
"Right now, we're not happy with what happened," said the man's sister. "I told them (my parents) we need to pursue further action. I want to go after the person who let my brother out.
"He doesn't understand (anything). He isn't able to express himself."
At the home in the 13100 block of SE 66th street Tuesday, a man who identified himself as the caretaker of the home said Mbichire had been fired. The company that runs the facility, Service Alternatives, would not confirm his termination.
"I am familiar (with the case), but I'm not able to comment," said Lyndee Breece, an administrator with the company. "We're conducting an internal investigation along with the police department."
Mbichire did not answer the door at his Kent apartment Tuesday afternoon. State records show he is a registered nursing assistant who has been licensed with the state since March 2006. Two complaints have been filed against him in that time, but none have resulted in any action, said Donn Moyer with the state Department of Health.
Moyer added that in light of Saturday's incident, DOH investigators have opened a new case.
For the woman who found the autistic man, the incident tugged at her heartstrings, especially since she runs her own adult care facility out of her home.
"That's really unfortunate, because (the caretaker) should really be more responsible and know where people that he cares for are all the time," Erdelean said. "You want the man to be safe. You don't want him to just wander off and nobody knows where he was."
Mbichire is scheduled to be arraigned on July 12.
