John Heffernan, 64, of North Wales.
A North Wales man is facing multiple charges after an investigation by police determined that he allegedly beat and neglected a 61-year-old woman who was under his care.
John Heffernan, 64, has been charged with aggravated assault, neglect of care, endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, reckless endangerment and simple assault in connection with the incident, which followed a call for assistance on Aug. 28.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim was dropped off at her home on South Main Street in North Wales Borough on Aug. 27 following a several-hour medical visit at Lansdale Hospital. The victim told police that she was having difficulty walking as she approached the residence, at which point she fell and was unable to get up. The report states that Heffernan — the victim’s primary caregiver — opened the door and saw the victim on the ground, but instead of helping her up, he swore at her and left the victim outside overnight.
Police said the victim continued to call for Heffernan throughout the night, but he did not come to render aid until 7 a.m. on Aug. 28, when he dragged her inside by her hair and her left wrist. Once inside, police allege that Heffernan placed the victim on the kitchen floor and began to kick her multiple times in the head, back, stomach and feet, causing widespread bruising across her body.
The victim told police that Heffernan then lifted her up onto the stove for a brief period, before forcefully throwing her back onto the floor, where she stayed until 4:54 p.m. when Heffernan called 9-1-1, the report states.
Police said the victim was still on the floor at the time they arrived, and she was immediately transported to Lansdale Hospital for evaluation. The report notes that Heffernan allegedly admitted to police that he had left the victim outside for an extended period of time.
The complaint states that hospital officials notified police a short time later that the victim had told an emergency room nurse that she had been physically assaulted by Heffernan over the previous few days. Police then spoke with the victim, who stated that she had not had a bath in more than two months, and that she would frequently go days with little to no food or water because Heffernan would not provide care for her.
In addition to swelling and bruising across the victim's body, further medical examination of the victim revealed “extreme bruising” along the inside thigh area, along with inflammation and swelling in the victim’s groin area, the report states. Despite the location of the injury, North Wales Police Chief Mike Eves said there were no signs of sexual assault.
“There was no evidence of sexual assault and the victim did not disclose any during questioning,” Eves said. “The swelling may be attributed to forced neglect of her personal hygiene. The victim was not allowed to bathe for extended periods of time and was not fed regularly.”
Heffernan was taken into custody on Aug. 31 and arraigned the following day by Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard, who set bail $10,000 cash, ordered him to refrain from having contact with the victim and prohibited him from returning to the residence.
Heffernan was then remanded to county jail after failing to post bail, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Leonard on Sept. 10 at 12:30 p.m.
Eves said that the victim remains hospitalized, but added that the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County and Laurel House are involved in assisting the victim once she is released from the hospital.
“This was one of the more severe cases that I’ve seen in 29 years of law enforcement,” said Eves. “He left her laying on the back sidewalk — feet from his door — for the entire night, then dragged her inside, assaulted her, and then left her laying on the kitchen floor all day. She has bruising all over her body and a possible broken wrist. Her suffering must have been significant.”
(All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. Some of the details of this incident have been redacted in order to preserve the identity of the victim.)
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