Moorcroft man charged with abuse of a vulnerable adult

Moorcroft resident Harold Stortz has been arrested on charges of abuse of a vulnerable adult after allegedly leaving an elderly person on the floor after a fall for approximately six hours.

On September 4, an officer from Moorcroft Police Department was dispatched around 7 a.m. to a report of an elderly person who had fallen. He arrived at the address to find the person, who he knew from previous contacts, “laying on the living room floor with only a thin long sleeve shirt on”.

Stortz was allegedly sitting in the kitchen looking at the elderly person and said the fall was recent. The officer felt from the elderly person’s facial expressions that they were in pain, and also cold due to there being two windows open after a night that had a low of 45 degrees.

Moorcroft EMS arrived to assist the elderly person and the officer asked Stortz what happened. Stortz allegedly stated they had fallen around 1 a.m. and he had tried to get them up but was unable to do so due to being physically disabled himself.

According to the officer’s report, he then stated he had wanted to teach the elderly person a lesson and make them “stronger and more independent”, so had left them on the ground to fend for themselves. Stortz did not call 911 until approximately six hours after he claimed she had fallen.

EMS members raised concerns for the elderly person’s wellbeing. The officer again spoke with Stortz about his relationship with them and was told the two were good friends.

The officer told Stortz to call 911 immediately if the elderly person fell again.

The officer was contacted a second time at 9:45 a.m. by Crook County Dispatch. The elderly person had fallen again.

The officer arrived on scene and entered the residence to see Stortz in the same chair in the kitchen as before. The elderly person was located on the floor in a bedroom.

The elderly person allegedly told the officer that Stortz had told them to get his phone cord from the bedroom and they had lost their balance and fallen. When EMS arrived, the officer was informed that the elderly person had a large knot on their forehead.

Stortz was placed under arrest and charged with a felony count of abuse or abandonment of a vulnerable adult and a felony count of neglect or abandonment of a vulnerable adult. Both felonies carry maximum penalties of ten years of incarceration, a $10,000 fine or both.