Port Arthur man found guilty in connection to mother’s death

Published 5:28 pm Thursday, May 2, 2024

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A Port Arthur man was found guilty in the 2020 death of his elderly mother.

A jury in Judge John Stevens’ Criminal District courtroom found Alan Roy Hartzel, 50, guilty Thursday of injury to an elderly individual.

Sentencing will be held Friday.

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Hartzel shared a home in the 2900 block of 5th Street with his mother, Jean Gordan Hartzel, 75.

On Feb. 21, 2020, emergency medical services were called to the home and his mother was taken to a hospital, where she died a short time later.

Medical personal described the woman as being in poor health “as though she had not been properly cared for,” according to an arrest warrant.

The document further stated her home was in a poor living condition and her bed was “severely unsanitary, with feces and other unknown bodily fluids saturated into the bed.”

A neighbor told police she had not seen the elderly woman in several months, and the son, who is the only other person that lives with the woman, refused to let the neighbor see her, according to authorities.

While at the hospital police noted what appeared to be an extreme open bed sore, as well as her being unresponsive.

Nurses told police the woman had a type of bed sore caused by prolonged periods without medical care.

An emergency room physician said the woman was suffering from severe dehydration and severe malnutrition caused by several weeks of neglect.