Guardianship appointed for woman removed from home

By ED RUNYAN

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

Guardianship of a 97-year-old Gustavus Township woman, who was removed from a home where 200 pets once lived, was awarded by a judge to Guardianship and Protective Services Inc. of Warren.

Helen DiMarsico was removed from the home at state Route 87 on Feb. 12, the same day deputies from the Trumbull County sheriff’s office removed 162 dogs and other animals.

Deputy Harold Firster said the animals were removed because most of them appeared to be underfed. Firster said DiMarsico was removed because of unsanitary conditions in the house.

DiMarsico, who spent several days in Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, is living in Gillette Nursing Home in Warren.

Her daughter, Kathy Witzman, 58, was arrested Feb. 12 at the home and later appeared in Eastern District Court. She pleaded innocent to cruelty to animals and open dumping. She returns to court at 10 a.m. Thursday. The animals were placed in the custody of the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County.

Testifying at Monday’s guardianship hearing before Judge Thomas A. Swift of Trumbull County Probate Court was Tony Laprocina, superviser of the Adult Protective Services division of the county Department of Job and Family Services.

When Laprocina went to the house in February, he found DiMarsico living in unsanitary conditions, so he requested the adult protective order that Judge Swift approved Feb. 12 that allowed authorities to take DiMarsico to the hospital.

Later, Judge Swift granted temporary guardianship of DiMarsico to Alvin Weisberg, director of the Jewish Community Center in Liberty and a longtime guardian.

Judge Swift also appointed Atty. Dan Letson to represent DiMarsico during the guardianship proceedings.

Under questioning by Letson and Josh Garris, an attorney representing Guardianship and Protective Services Inc., Laprocina said that when he visited DiMarsico in February, the bedroom where she lived was “fairly well-cleaned and picked up” but had a “stench” and “strong ammonia smell” from animal urine.

The floor was “coated with animal hair” and dirt so that he could not tell what kind of floor it was, Laprocina said. “I didn’t feel she should be there.”

Laprocina found DiMarsico in bed, with one cat on the bed and a dog in the room. He didn’t look in the other part of the house.

During questioning, Letson said he felt Laprocina was being “nice” in the way he described conditions in DiMarsico’s bedroom.

“That’s filthy, isn’t it?” Letson asked Laprocina, referring to a photo of her room.

“Yes,” Laprocina agreed.

“And unhealthful?” Letson added.

“Yes,” Laprocina said.

Judge Swift’s staff installed a video connection at the nursing home so that DiMarsico could listen to the testimony from the nursing home and answer questions. With her at the nursing home was Katrina Stanko, a guardian with Guardianship and Protective Services Inc., who described DiMarsico at the time she was taken from the Gustavus Township home as “malnourished” and “covered in feces.”