An 85-year-old man who exhibits signs of dementia remained in the Chenango County jail Wednesday, nearly two weeks after he was charged with public lewdness.
Leonard Bentley, formerly of the town of Oneonta, had been a resident of Chase Memorial Nursing Home in New Berlin from July until Oct. 3.
On that day, he exposed himself to others at the facility and was arrested, according to nursing home Administrator Roger Halbert.
Halbert said the incident was the most recent of several problems the staff had with Bentley, who allegedly has a criminal record in Otsego and Chenango counties.
Chase's attorney, William ``Jack'' Gibbons, said that if Chase did not act to protect other residents, it faced censure from state health officials.
Jailed in lieu of $1,000 bail, Bentley has nowhere to go, said his attorney, Kayphet Malvady, on Wednesday.
``We are trying to find an appropriate place for him, but it's difficult,'' said Malvady, an assistant public defender in Chenango County.
Bentley recently underwent a mental-health evaluation, and the findings may help determine where he will be moved. County mental-health and adult protective services officials are working on the case, Malvady said.
Asked how Bentley is faring in jail, Malvady said, ``As well as could be expected,'' noting that corrections officers have kept him segregated from other inmates.
Chenango County Assistant District Attorney James Chamberlain said last week that finding an appropriate home for Bentley is his top concern in this case, the misdemeanor charge notwithstanding.
Bentley has a daughter, Theresa Fisher of Otego, but she is unable to cope with him, according to her attorney, Joseph Kehoe of Oneonta.
``She's devastated by this situation,'' Kehoe said Wednesday.
For years, Fisher took care of her father, but as his dementia progressed and his behavior became less controlled, she reached a breaking point, Kehoe said.
Malvady said he hopes to persuade Fisher to take her father back, but Kehoe said, ``That's not going to happen. She can't do it anymore.''
Fisher does not have a listed telephone number, according to www.whitepages.com.
Kehoe said he is hoping local political leaders will intercede to have Bentley moved from jail to a more appropriate setting.
``It's hard to believe that all the doors are closed,'' he said. ``It's time for someone to step up to the plate.''
