ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Royal Palm Beach man accused of abusing an elderly couple he was supposed to be caring for was arrested last week.
Chris Gisonni, 50, is facing multiple charges, including elderly abuse, elderly neglect and kidnapping.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to conduct a welfare check over safety concerns for an 82-year-old woman.
Alex Rodriguez has lived across the street from Gisonni for more than a year.
"He used to have his personal business outside the house, and he might, you know, have a temper," Rodriguez said. "The more you get to know people, you can just start feeling a little better as who is around you, but at the same time, there are the ones you wonder, like, who they are."
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies said that Gisonni was confrontational and, at times, dragged the 82-year-old woman in front of the window.
Deputies were able to sneak inside and make the arrest.
"Yeah, it's surreal; it's the first time that I run into this kind of situation — I mean, this close," Rodriguez said.
Deputies said the woman was extremely emaciated, had high blood pressure and appeared to be suffering from dementia.
According to a probable cause affidavit, she also had bruises from the incident and appeared extremely confused and upset.
A 91-year-old man who lived in the house was recently hospitalized with a brain bleed.
The inside of the home was damaged, with nearly no food, two loaded guns and mold on a recliner that deputies said was used by one of the seniors.
"We get calls involving elderly abuse on a daily basis," lawyer Joe Landy said.
Landy said 1 in 10 elders are subject to abuse every year. He said 60% is due to neglect and abuse of family members.
"It was obviously chilling; it was obviously tragic, but you're obviously also dealing with someone who was very sick, a very twisted and mentally ill individual," Landy said.
Landy said the top forms of elder abuse he sees in Palm Beach County are neglect and physical and emotional abuse.
Gisonni was being held on a $121,000 bond. His next hearing is March 6.
