Chandler managers indicted after resident without air conditioning dies
Aug 16, 2019, 9:20 AM
Joseph and Lolita Somera (Arizona Attorney General's Office Photos)
(Arizona Attorney General's Office Photos)
PHOENIX — Two managers of a Chandler assisted living facility were indicted after a resident who went two days without air conditioning died.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday that Joseph Somera, 56, and Lolita Somera, 56, were each charged with one count of vulnerable adult abuse.
Jon Rader, 69, was living at Happy Homes Assisted Living Facility near Ray and Dobson roads when the air conditioning failed on Aug. 16, 2018, according to a press release.
Lolita Somera found him unresponsive two days later.
The Chandler Police Department said the home was 94 degrees at the time, and the temperature in Rader’s room was 100 degrees.
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The Maricopa Medical Examiner’s Office determined environmental heat exposure contributed to his death.
“It’s important as we are here in the dog days of the hottest part of summer that we watch out for our seniors, especially with this triple-digit heat,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
“I encourage everyone to check on your family members, your neighbors. No senior should ever be left alone in this heat without air conditioning.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Nailea Leon contributed to this report.
