Surprise Move in WWII Vet Neglect Case

93-year-old Arnold Bauer was found living in squalor

In a surprise move the attorney for a paid caretaker accused of letting a 93-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor live in filth declared the defendant competent to stand trial, according to prosecutor Claudia Grasso.

A mental competency hearing was held for Milagros Angeles at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Arnold Bauer, 93, was found earlier this year in his home on Euclid Avenue in unincorporated El Cajon. The home was filled with rat droppings, dirty dishes, overflowing sinks, non-working toilets and garbage.

The World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor was sent to the V.A. Medical Center where it was discovered that he has prostate cancer and a severe urinary tract infection. He also suffers from dementia.

Sheriff's detectives arrested Bauer's caretaker, Milagros Angeles, 62, and charged her with elder abuse.

Angeles allegedly looted Bauer's bank accounts. She was wearing five layers of clothing when deputies arrested her, according to prosecutors. They say bundles of $100 bills were hidden inside each layer of clothing and she had a hidden money belt.

The prosecutor said there's evidence that the suspect sent money to banks in the Philippines.
At her arraignment, Angeles was ordered to have no contact with Bauer and to stay 100 yards away.

Bauer survived the Pearl Harbor attack, on board USS Vestal.

Another hearing is scheduled for November 10.

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