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Samantha Hayes ReportingA sixty-year old woman is not usually the face of crime, but behind this mug shot is a different story.
Yara Bingham: "I don't know where to begin as for where to put her and how to take care of her."
So for now, jail will have to do. Andrea Watts suffered a severe brain injury 18 years ago in a car accident. Now 60, she requires constant attention, but her family is not able to care for her, and most health care facilities cannot either.
Health care workers say this is a major issue not only in Utah, but also for the country. There are few facilities that can meet those needs.
It's sad, but also ironic. Before her accident, Andrea Watts found time, even while raising four children, to work with people in need.
Yara Bingham, Daughter: "She was a special educator. She worked with the deaf and blind, she knew Braille."
Watts is now the one who needs special attention and care, and it seems there is no one to give it.
Yara Bingham, Daughter: "My mom, to this day, sits in a jail cell. Her only contact with people is for food. All she keeps asking for is her sweater, pink slippers, and a cup of hot cocoa, which she can't have."
And she cannot understand why the Sunshine Terrace Foundation in Logan, where she had been treated, could no longer help her.
Sara Sinclair, Sunshine Terrace Foundation: "We had a client whose behavior became difficult and we couldn't manage it, and we needed help."
Police reports say Watts hit and threatened staff and was sexually aggressive. But still, her arrest was a difficult decision.
Sara Sinclair: "The hole in the system showed up because there was no direct service to move her to that would meet her needs."
Doctors examined Watts but her condition could not be treated at the hospital. And Bingham says she could not take her mother home.
Yara Bingham: "I've got three young children that drive her crazy. The noise and commotion aggravates her and I medically can't care for her."
Emotionally, she struggles knowing her mother is in jail.
Emotionally she struggles knowing her mother is in jail.
Yara Bingham: "That's been the lowest part for me now."
It's a low point for many families who cannot find adequate care for loved ones with severe brain injuries.
It's likely the assault charge will be dropped against Watts and her case has been referred to the Division of Services for People with Disabilities.
On a positive note, Utah has a three year Federal grant to improve care for people with Traumatic Brain Injuries.
