MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. —
The family of a 26-year-old disabled Menomonee Falls man is asking for justice after a former caretaker was arrested for allegedly injuring him — and they fear charges may never be filed.
Jeremy McCarthy has cerebral palsy, cannot walk or eat on his own, and is non-verbal. His family says he is a happy person, but that changed after he suffered a horrific leg injury.
His mother, Colleen Bittner, said she is speaking out because her son cannot.
"It's tough, it's tough to watch your child in pain," Bittner said.
Jeremy's leg was broken in multiple places. It happened on May 29 at his group home in Menomonee Falls. Bittner said she first learned about the injury when a surgeon called her.
"This is a bad injury. This is akin to what we see in car accident," Bittner said.
Bittner said she immediately knew something was wrong. Jeremy was found in bed with a broken leg, but he cannot put himself into bed if he falls.
"I think this was someone who was frustrated," Bittner said. "It was definitely an abusive situation and it was traumatic."
Menomonee Falls Police arrested a caretaker from Jeremy's former group home two days ago on charges of abuse and neglect of a patient and resident. That person has since been released from custody, and the family is worried the district attorney's office will not press charges.
The group home is operated by Homes for Independent Living (HIL), which is owned by MyPath. HIL released this statement:
"We are aware of the arrest of a member of our staff in connection to this matter. Upon learning of the arrest, we immediately suspended the individual and removed them from our staffing schedule. As a residential provider, the safety and well-being of our clients is our top priority. We take these matters very seriously and, upon learning about the incident in question, immediately conducted an internal investigation and reported the situation to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Division of Quality Assurance, in line with Homes for Independent Living protocol. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement during their ongoing investigation. Because this is an active case, we cannot share further details at this time. Please direct questions regarding the investigation to the Menomonee Falls Police Department," Homes for Independent Living said.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services last inspected HIL Hawthorne House in February.
Bittner said her biggest concern is that the former caretaker could soon be working with someone else's loved one.
"I am looking that this doesn't happen to anyone else. Without holding this person responsible so there is a paper trail or a record, this can continue to go on again," Bittner said.
The Waukesha County District Attorney's office said it has only had the case for two days and it is still under review.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
