Hurricane Ian: One Year Later

6 • HURRICANE IAN: ONE YEAR LATER • 2023 Frank Difiore Staff Writer ENGLEWOOD — A nightmare became reality as a couple coping with a natural disaster raging outside suddenly had to try to survive a new enemy within their own home. In the shadow of Hurricane Ian, a live-in caretaker stands accused of betraying his clients, beating them and robbing them of freedom and valuables. Dennis Ray Fausz, 36, was staying with an Englewood couple in the weeks leading up to the storm in September 2022, working as an in-home caretaker for the husband. The wife of the couple, speaking to The Daily Sun, said Fausz began acting irrationally before the storm — culminating in a physical attack and attempted kidnapping of them both. "He stole everything … my ribs still hurt," she said. In the chaos of the days after, only a blurb of the crimes were mentioned. The full scope of the allegations were unknown until recent weeks. The woman spoke to The Daily Sun on condition of anonymity, citing her persistent fear of the suspect. The purported victims are in their mid-70s. She said that the couple had previously known Fausz when they lived in Colorado, where he came across as a "normal but lazy" young man. They later moved to Englewood, having a friend in Venice, and Fausz later moved to Arizona. The wife said that she posted on social media looking for a life-in caretaker for her husband, who suffers from dementia. Fausz answered the call — and the couple paid for him to travel to Florida. For the first few weeks, Fausz seemed to perform the job adequately and nothing was amiss. As the hurricane came through, however, he appeared to lay down on the house's floor in a catatonic state. The wife, meanwhile, was attending to her husband as night began to settle over Englewood. During that time, she said that Fausz got up and began attacking her and husband. She said that she suffered multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, a concussion, and two broken teeth. Her husband also suffered multiple broken ribs and a concussion. The woman also said that Fausz beat her German shepherd service dog, leading to the dog's death. After some time, she alleged Fausz put her husband in a wheelchair and put him in the couple's car before dragging her to the car by the hair. The suspect then drove the couple north after the storm had passed, stopping at a 7-Eleven store in Sarasota. The wife managed to get out of the car there, screaming for someone to call 911. She and her husband were left at the store with the wheelchair, while Fausz made off with the car. First responders arrived on- scene and transported them both to the hospital for treatment. Days later, Charlotte County deputies met with the couple to interview them and noted Fausz as the suspect. Three weeks later, as the wife was being released from the hospital, she was informed that Fausz had been caught with her car in South Carolina. She told officers that he did not have permission to use the car, and was told in turn that the car had been totaled. Fausz has since been extradited back to Charlotte County. According to court documents, he was charged with one count each of grand theft of motor vehicle, false imprisonment, aggravated battery against an elderly victim, and battery against an elderly victim. Over a year since the attack, the woman who hired Fausz said that she still fears that he will return to harm her. Her husband has stayed at a Sarasota nursing home for care, because they no longer trust someone to come into their Englewood home to offer care. He's not been charged in the beating and death of the service dog. She has adopted a new dog to keep her company, but lacked the time and energy to train the new pet as a service animal. As of Sept. 15, Fausz remains incarcerated at Charlotte County Jail on $145,000 total bond. Earlier this year, Circuit Judge Lisa Porter ordered a competency hearing to determine if Fausz was mentally able to stand trial. An expert in the case evaluated him and judged that he is. He has another court appearance set about a year after Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida and his alleged attacks on the Englewood couple. NIGHTMARE BECOMES REALITY: Man attacks, kidnaps elderly clients PHOTO PROVIDED BY CCSO Dennis Ray Fausz Frank Difiore Staff Writer PORT CHARLOTTE — The strong winds and floodwaters of Hurricane Ian ended lives, destroyed homes and wrecked vital infrastructure across Southwest Florida. Such disruption also provided opportunities for people to prey on others, according to law enforcement. From late September to early October, about 50 people were arrested for charges of battery, aggravated battery and aggravated assault between Charlotte, DeSoto and Sarasota counties. During the hurricane itself, strong winds prevented first responders from answering calls at all — any vehicles on the road would provide a risk of further damage to both occupants and their surroundings. When the storm passed, however, and the winds returned to normal, deputies and firefighters returned to the roads and began going through the backlog of calls. Records of arrests from The Daily Sun's police blotter also indicated that 39 people were arrested on drug-related charges — such as possession of controlled substances or paraphernalia — and 33 were arrested on charges of driving under the influence. Those numbers, however, may not reflect the full situation in the days after the storm. After the storm, the computer system supporting the online arrest database for the Charlotte County Sheriff 's Office was disconnected from the Internet for several days – leaving several days out of the record. Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell told The Daily Sun his office focused "search and rescue, damage assessment and humanitarian missions" when vehicles returned to the roads. "An abundance of these calls were from concerned family and friends who were desperate to know that their loved ones had made it through," Prummell wrote in a statement. Prummell also recalled the establishment of a curfew in Charlotte County to help prevent "looting of damaged houses and businesses" amid widespread power outages in the days after the storm. He acknowledged that the curfew was "unpopular," but insisted that it helped keep order in the storm's wake "During this time, we did respond to several curfew violations and burglaries; thieves trying to take advantage of a bad situation," he said. In another case, Charlotte County deputies arrested a man for allegedly impersonating a deputy from Butts County, Georgia, and claimed to be part of recovery efforts. In DeSoto County, a similar curfew went into effect. In October, Arcadia police officers arrested one man for refusing to leave a closed gas station during curfew. The suspect allegedly kicked an officer during a tense confrontation. In Sarasota and DeSoto counties, about a half-dozen people were arrested on charges of larceny or theft-related charges in the first two weeks of October. In addition, three suspects were charged with burglary and four more with burglary during a state of emergency. CCSO also said that they took the initiative to look out for unlicensed contractors and those looking to pose as contractors to scam residents in need. In one case, a man facing contractor fraud charges out of Louisiana was found operating in Charlotte County and extradited back. "I know citizens were eager to get their homes repaired but use caution and always check licensing and reviews before just handing over your money," Prummell said. "It could save you a lot of grief later." With the close call of Hurricane Idalia having passed — and the hurricane season not ending until late November — Prummell said that he was hoping for a calm remainder of the 2023 storm season. HURRICANES AND HANDCUFFS: Ian led to curfew, some crimes

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