KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Two men are facing charges after the Knox County Sheriff's Office said one of the men grabbed a vulnerable man with cerebral palsy, scoliosis and a seizure disorder by his feet and dragged him across a driveway on his back.
KCSO said Elbert Glennard Sharp Jr. and Jakolby Tyrell Stigall were working as Sertoma Center caregivers at around 10 a.m. on March 17, 2022. According to court records, the man's speech is impaired and he needs help with routine activities.
Stigall and Sharp were seen on video trying to take the man out of the center's transport van when one of the men grabbed him and dragged him out onto the driveway, according to KCSO. Court records show Stigall is facing a charge of abuse of a vulnerable adult, and Sharp is facing a charge for failing to report the abuse.
According to KCSO, a referral was made to Adult Protective Services. Investigators discovered the vulnerable man had a large red area on his back that could have been from scratches or scrapes.
It also said neither of the former caregivers reported the incident and "appeared to attempt to cover it up."
KCSO said deputies are still investigating the incident. Both suspects were scheduled to appear at a bond hearing on July 27, according to KCSO. They are next scheduled to be arraigned in court on August 3.
WBIR reached out to the Sertoma Center for a comment on the incident. In a statement, Sertoma said one of its caregivers notified the company in March about the incident -- saying it began an internal investigation immediately.
The company said it determined one of the employees had possibly harmed the man, and the other employee had failed to report the incident. Sertoma said it fired both of the employees on March 23 because "their actions were not in accordance with Sertoma's mission and values."
The company said it also reported the situation to law enforcement and the victim's closest family member.
"While Sertoma cannot comment further on any ongoing criminal matter, we will confirm that we maintain safety as our top priority. And, when this situation was first reported to Sertoma in March, immediate steps were taken to investigate, report, and terminate," it said in a statement. "We trust the legal system will ensure other appropriate action is taken here, but Sertoma needs the Knoxville community and all of our supported families to know that our team simply has no tolerance for any possible abuse related to our persons served."