Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
-Patrol Operations Bureau

City of Dunedin
-Code Enforcement

Florida Department of Children and Families

Pinellas County Animal Control

Richard Lawrence Goodwin (Arrested)
DOB: 3/28/1954
Address: Dunedin
Charges: One count of Abuse/Neglect of the Aged/Disabled, two counts Cruelty to Animals.

The victim is a 67-year-old woman. Per Florida Statute 415.107(1) no further information will be released that would tend to identify the victim.

What:
Pinellas deputies arrested a Dunedin man after it was discovered he was the caretaker for a bedridden woman who was living in a home filled with trash, urine and feces. The house was also home to ten dogs and five large birds.

When:
The incident occurred at about 7:19 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.

Where:
Residence in Dunedin. Per Florida Statute 415.107(1) no further information will be released that would tend to identify the victim.

Why/How:
At about 7:19 p.m., on April 25, 2019, Pinellas deputies responded to a residence located in Dunedin, for a follow-up welfare check on the victim.

When deputies arrived, they could smell the odor of rotting trash and animal feces as they walked up the driveway. Inside the residence, the odor of feces and urine was so overwhelming that deputies had to don masks.

Due to the large amounts of trash in the home, a path had to be cleared for deputies to reach the victim’s bedroom. None of the home’s toilets were working and all were found to be overflowing with feces. The only working sink was located on the opposite end of the house from the victim’s bedroom, which is where Goodwin lived.

No food or water could be found available for the victim or the animals inside the residence. Deputies also observed rats running around the home along with cockroaches, ants, spiders, flies, mosquitos and the presence of black colored mold.

The dogs were all found to be skinny with some being emaciated. Two puppies were living in a plastic bin that was nearly two inches deep with their own feces. Five large Macaw birds were found loose inside the home.

The victim was transported to a local hospital for non-life threating injuries. The State of Florida Elderly Abuse Hotline was notified of the conditions.

Pinellas County Animals Services took custody of all the animals and transported them to shelters.

Goodwin was transported to the Pinellas County Jail and charged with one count of Abuse/Neglect of the Aged/Disabled and two counts Cruelty to Animals.

Goodwin was arrested previously for one count of Abuse/Neglect of the Aged/Disabled on May 6, 2018 (SO18-136935) for neglecting of the same victim. 

The investigation continues.