Horrifying footage shows 55-year-old man being beaten with a belt 30 TIMES by staff at care home who also let other residents attack him
- Footage captures Joey Cason being repeatedly beaten, punched at Total Care
- Staff are seen punching Cason on the ground and letting other residents hit him
- Caretaker Shakia Smith charged with battery and abuse/neglect of elder person
- Georgia facility's license has also since been revoked following investigation
A horrifying video has captured the moment a 55-year-old mentally disabled man was beaten at his care home in Georgia.
The disturbing footage shows staff members punching Joey Cason in the face and repeatedly hitting him.
One staff member at the Total Care facility is seen beating Cason with a belt 30 times while he cowers in the corner in fear before falling to the ground in tears.
Surveillance video also captured staff punching Cason on the ground and letting other residents hit him.
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A horrifying video captured the moment Joey Cason, a 55-year-old mentally disabled man, was beaten at his care home in Georgia (pictured)
One staff member at Total Care, a facility in Gordan, is seen beating Cason with a belt 30 times while he cowers in the corner in fear before falling to the ground in tears
Footage also shows them taunting Cason with food and laughing at him, according to KHOU.
Brian Jarrard, Cason's family's attorney, said they decided to release the horrifying footage from 2013 to raise awareness of the neglect occurring across Georgia's care facilities.
'These are some of our most weakest, our most vulnerable citizens,' Jarrad said. 'So, it's important to know and watch and to see when they're not being cared for appropriately.'
Jarrad said Cason's family put him in Total Care in Gordan, about 20 miles east of Macon, when they could no longer watch him.
While Cason is able to 'function physically', he is 'severely mentally disabled', Jarrad said.
Surveillance video also captured staff punching Cason (pictured) on the ground and letting other residents hit him
Total Care was a licensed facility for the developmentally disabled. But Jarrad said Cason was anything but safe at the care home.
'I think anybody would find the video despicable,' he said. 'It was heartbreaking. It made me angry to think of individuals who were being paid to care for him were engaged in just despicable abuse.'
Five staff members total at the facility were accused of beating and abusing patients including Shakia Smith, who was charged with battery and abuse/neglect of an elder person in Cason's case.
An additional five staff members were accused of neglect because they witnessed patients being beaten or saw their injuries but did not report the abuse.
Seven people total were criminally charged and fired following the investigation.
Total Care's license was revoked by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities following an investigation. Pictured is the facility
A report obtained by WMAZ found that multiple patients at the home had been punched in the face, with some suffering black eyes or even broken arms.
Patients who had visible bruises and welts were interviewed, and one had bruises on her back and red marks on her nose, arm, elbow, and shoulders.
The facility's license was revoked by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities following an investigation.
The case against Pamela Reaves, Total Care's former owner, is still pending.
Cason has since been moved to a different facility in south Georgia. Jarrad said he is doing well.
