In a shocking incident, a 70-year-old man from Alabama has been accused of physically assaulting his 95-year-old mother, leaving her with two black eyes and visible injuries on her arms and legs. The man, identified as John Earl Black, has been charged with second-degree elder abuse by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, as per an official press release.
Black was taken into custody and booked into the Lee County Detention Center on Tuesday. He is currently being held on a $30,000 bond. The incident came to light when a man approached sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the Phenix City area, near Lee Road 240, two days prior to Black’s arrest.
The man, who turned out to be the brother of the accused, informed the deputies about the assault on his mother. Upon inspection, the officers found the elderly woman in the man’s vehicle, visibly injured with two black eyes and bandages on her arms and legs.
When questioned about the incident, the 95-year-old woman confirmed that her son had assaulted her. She also revealed that this was not the first time she had been subjected to such abuse. The woman identified her attacker as Black and stated that the assault took place at her residence on Lee Road 498 in Phenix City.
Further investigation revealed a disturbing pattern of abuse. During Black’s arrest, deputies discovered that he had been previously charged with a similar crime. In April 2022, Black was arrested for elder abuse against his mother. He pleaded guilty to the charges in January and was subsequently placed on probation for two years.
Phenix City, where the incident occurred, is located in eastern Alabama, less than a mile away from Columbus, Georgia. The shocking case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing issue of elder abuse, often perpetrated by close family members.