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Elderly man suffering from dementia arrested at nursing home still in jail

NEW BERLIN – An 85-year-old resident at a New Berlin nursing home was arrested after the facility’s staff contacted police over complaints that the man was exposing himself.

Leonard Bentley, 85, who resides at Chase Memorial Nursing Home at 1 Terrace Hts., in the Village of New Berlin, was arrested for public lewdness, a class B misdemeanor, Friday.

Bentley was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $1,000 cash bail by Town of New Berlin Justice Joseph Brillinger, where he has remained since his Oct. 3 arrest.



The charge accuses Bentley of standing unclothed in the halls of the nursing home with intent to been seen by other residents.

The Assistant District Attorney handling the case in the lower court, James P. Chamberlain, said he “contacted Village of New Berlin Justice Karen E. Lindsay and advised her that it’s the people’s position that Mr. Leonard not be in jail.”

Chamberlain said Bentley would be released later today.

Chamberlain also said Bentley “may have dementia and suffers from metal health issues. His release is a step toward finding him an appropriate treatment for his situation.”

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Reader Response

8 comments on this story

medic33
October 9th, 2008 at 10:43 am
When i read this i was disgusted with the medical facility mostly but also the police for making an arrest on an 85 yo guy with Dementia and put him in the correctional faility. This poor guy obviously needs 24/7 help and medical treatment not to be in a correctional facility with a bunch of true criminals. If i were this family I would own the this nursing home indefinately!!!!!!!!!!
kem333
October 9th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I agree with everyone above, Sometimes the mind goes before the body but the person still deserves respect as does the family who probably put him there in the first place for his own safety. Hope as it goes i don't start to forget my pants or skirt because at 47 i am always forgetting the bi-focals i just got this year. Respect for his age would have been nicer than puttting him in jail. And how will he be fit to stand trial if he has dementia/alzheimers?
AROD3KS
October 8th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
i agree with the others, this is ridiculous...he is 85..yes its not legal to expose yourself but he has dementia..i mean come on?? put him in a more suited place that can deal with this sort of thing. its not unheard of with people suffering with dementia. get real
lawlesrebel65
October 8th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
this is a man that needs help not jail. i guss that is safer for the sherrifs dpt to deal with this than the drug problems and more dangerous crimes ...i guss that a 85 nude man effects all county residents safty ...plesae
racheldecker
October 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
the nursing home should be charged , are you kidding me i cant believe an employee would call the police for this , that is why the man is there he needs care not jail ,youre stupid
ladyljf
October 8th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
This man is 85 years old and “may have dementia and suffers from metal health issues." A psychiatric facility for evaluation would to me seem much more appropriate then
the Chenango County Correctional Facility. I do agree all of the residents staff and there families should be kept safe but jail? At 85? Why didnt he go directly to a psychiatric facilty?
sevennumbers
October 8th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I hope the gentleman's family sues the nursing home for this outrageous breech of confidentiality. An arrest should never have been made here along with the publication of any details.This publication may want to think these things through before reporting on a story like this. The gentleman's name should
never have been published.
rmeek4963
October 8th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
You got to be kidding me. Arrest a ederly man who is in a nursing home in the first place because he probably couldnt take care of himself. What is this world coming to.You mean to tell me that the nursing home couldnt find a solution on there own they had to call the cops.If he is having problems in the nursing home at the least they could of made a attempt to find a place that could help him not a jail cell.Would they have done that to there own family member?
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