Father 'horrified' at what hidden cameras reveal

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Father 'horrified' at what hidden cameras reveal By DEBORAH CIRCELLI Staff Writer

DAYTONA BEACH -- When Dio placed hidden cameras throughout his house to see whether his disabled son's personal care assistant was feeding and changing his diaper, he didn't expect to see her repeatedly slapping another client.

MerlinoDio, 45, of Port Orange, whose 17-year-old son has cerebral palsy, said he was suspicious that his son's assistant, Rabha Merlino, wasn't bathing him or brushing his teeth. She has been paid by the state the last four years to care for his son. But Dio said he was shocked to see what police reports describe as Merlino hitting a 42-year-old man with Down syndrome in the face more than 12 times. "What we saw was beyond our belief of anything we thought was going on," Dio said. "Horrified would be the biggest adjective you can use." Merlino, 56, who is contracted by the state to care for people with developmental disabilities and had a business at her Holly Hill home called Loving Hand Home, was arrested Thursday and charged with abusing a disabled adult, a felony. She was released from jail Friday night on $3,500 bail. Port Orange police are still reviewing seven video tapes -- 40-plus hours of footage -- to determine whether there are more incidents of abuse against the 42-year-old and whether Merlino also physically abused Dio's son, . The state Department of Children & Families is also investigating.

Officials with the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities, which employs Merlino, said Friday they are in the process of terminating her license and certification. Merlino has been licensed since October 2006 to allow two people with disabilities to live in her home, though only the 42-year-old, whom The Daytona Beach News-Journal has chosen not to identify, had been living there. She has been paid by the state since August 2002 to provide personal care, companion and respite services -- helping clients in their home or taking them out into the community. "I think it's awful," said Ed DeBardeleben, local administrator for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. "I think it's terrible that this occurred and such behavior cannot be tolerated. We have high expectations of all our providers to provide quality and safe services." The 42-year-old has since been moved to another residential home contracted by the state, and the four other clients who received services were transferred to other providers. Police say the 42-year-old has been a ward of the state since he was 9 months old. DeBardeleben said the 42-year-old had been living in Merlino's home under a private arrangement prior to the state paying for him to live there in October 2006. Dio, who helped his ex-wife, Donna, take care of his son when he wasn't working, said he installed the cameras in his ex-wife's kitchen, garage and yard and recorded on Dec. 18 and again last week. He and his ex-wife work full time and he helps out at night. He was concerned about his son's hygiene, issues of how Merlino put on his diapers and whether she was actually feeding him. Household items and medication had also been missing from the house, he said. "I'm devastated," Donna Dio said Friday. "She always claimed how much she loved (our son) and always thanked us because we were so good to her." A police report says the video shows various thefts but Port Orange Capt. Surmaczewicz said there is not sufficient evidence to proceed on theft charges. His main priority is whether there are other abuse incidents, he said. Dio said he has complained to the state but was told few people are available for caretaking work. DeBardeleben said state records show no formal complaints against Merlino since 2002, though the support coordinator contracted by the state may have other information. State reports also never indicated any safety or life-threatening issues, he said. The reports highlight Merlino's strengths, including having patience and concern for her clients, but also said she needed to work on some areas, including educating clients about abuse, and their rights and services available in the community. Holly Hill police investigated the 2005 death of a 43-year-old who had cerebral palsy and was under Merlino's care in her home. But the cause of death was determined natural and that "there was nothing based on what we saw there that would indicate foul play," Holly Hill Cmdr. Mark Barker said. Sheree Urich of Port Orange was also shocked Friday about Merlino's arrest. Merlino provided respite care for her teenage son, who is legally blind and has profound mental retardation. Urich, who does therapeutic massage, also worked on Dio's son and often saw Merlino with the 42-year-old. She now wonders whether her own son had ever been abused by Merlino. "I never saw anything. She seemed like a wonderful, caring person to me," Urich said. deborah.circellinews-jrnl Make distant family not so distant with Windows Vista® + Windows Live™. Start now!