Woman Sentenced on Charge of Elder Abuse

In the first elder-abuse case in Ventura County, a Thousand Oaks woman was ordered to serve 60 days in jail and was placed on five years’ probation Friday for her role in the death of her elderly mother by neglect, according to the district attorney’s office.

Theresa McKelvey, 28, also was ordered by Ventura Superior Court Judge Robert J. Soares to pay a $500 fine and perform 500 hours of community service, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Ronald C. Janes, supervisor of the major crimes unit.

McKelvey pleaded guilty on Aug. 11 to a charge of elder abuse in connection with the death of her mother, Dolores McKelvey. An additional charge of manslaughter was dropped, Janes said, because it carried the same maximum sentence as elder abuse, four years in state prison.

McKelvey’s brother, Thomas, 30, is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 22 on a charge of elder abuse, Janes said.

Dolores McKelvey was paralyzed and bedridden with multiple sclerosis, said Ventura County Deputy Dist. Atty. Peter D. Kossoris. Firefighters and law enforcement officers, responding to a call from Thomas McKelvey on Dec. 5, 1988, found her covered with excrement, urine and maggots. She died about 10 days later, Kossoris said.

Thomas McKelvey, who was to cook and clean house while his sister cared for their mother, said he called authorities because he had not realized his mother’s condition, Kossoris said.