Note saying 'Call the police' leads to arrest of elderly man's live-in caretaker, police say

An 81-year old widower and Navy veteran said he was forced to seek help through a note on his mailbox after his live-in caretaker became allegedly abusive.

The victim, who didn't want to be identified publicly, said that 60-year-old Denise Williams took away his phone and his car keys after getting angry with him at his house in Lantana, Florida.

'She jumped on my chest and started grabbing it, my phone, and she finally got it and scratched me.'

"Every month, every day, she got a little bit worse," the man said to WPBF-TV.

Williams got so angry at the state of the man's bathroom that he tried to call 911 after she yelled at him. She stopped him by squeezing his hand until he could no longer stand the pain.

"She jumped on my chest. I was lying down, trying to get my phone, and she jumped on my chest and started grabbing it, my phone, and she finally got it and scratched me," he said.

Williams then took steps to ensure that he not call for help, according to the victim.

"Then she grabbed my phone, the two house phones, the landline phones, and my car keys, dumped them in her room, and locked the door," he added.

He decided to scrawl a plea for help on a note left on his mailbox.

"Call the police," it read.

The mail carrier saw the note and reported it to his supervisor. That supervisor reported it to the Lantana Police, who responded to the call and found Williams at a nearby gas station with the man's debit card and checkbook.

Williams was charged with numerous counts, including battery on an elderly victim and robbery. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.

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Despite the ordeal, the man says he's worried Williams has nowhere to go. He said she had worked for him for about two and a half years and been paid $2,000 a month to care for him.

"I'm sorry for her. I really am," he said. "Because she has no place to go right now, other than where she's going after she gets out of the hospital."

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