Wife, son held in attack on 74-year-old man

The wife and the son of a 74-year-old Winthrop Harbor man with dementia were ordered held on $50,000 bond Wednesday after being charged with pepper-spraying the man and duct-taping him to a bed.

Diane Kelley, 63, and Anthony Kelley, 40, are charged with aggravated battery to a person over 60 years old. Diane Kelley was also charged with unlawful restraint, prosecutors said.

Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Patricia Fix said the pair was bragging about the attack around 1 a.m. on May 23 in a Waukegan restaurant. A person who heard them called police.

Winthrop Harbor police went to their residence in 1000 block of Adams Avenue and took the man to a Waukegan hospital for evaluation, Fix said.

The wife and son were interviewed by police, Fix said, but she would not comment on those interviews.

Winthrop Harbor Police Det. Chris Willets said the victim had been duct-taped to the bed or tied to a chair for the past month whenever his wife and son had to leave the house.

“The offenders told the officer that the victim would wander and not stay in bed,” Willets said. “So, whenever they would leave, they would duct-tape him down before leaving,”

The Kellys told police the victim was pepper-sprayed once, and it was out of anger when the victim was being resistant, Willets added.

Both appeared Wednesday morning before Associate Judge Raymond Collins, who set the bond and ordered them to return to court June 2.

Fix said they face up to five years in prison if convicted, but also would be eligible for probation.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Lee Filas contributed to this report.