PINELLAS PARK — A police investigation determined the death of a 65-year-old man at a nursing home this year was an accident.
No charges were filed after Pinellas Park police investigated the care of Wilbert Henry Moten on the day of his death April 30 at GraceWood Rehabilitation and Nursing Care. The facility at 8600 U.S. 19 N was under investigation for abuse after it appeared he was left outside in the sun long enough to acquire severe burns and dehydration, according to initial reports from police.
During the investigation, several nurses told police that Moten was allowed to move freely around the nursing home and doesn't need constant supervision, according to the report.
He went outside between 3 and 3:30 p.m., then a nurse brought him inside an hour later for dinner. At some point, he went back on the patio. About 5:15 p.m., a nurse found him there slumped in his wheelchair with a high body temperature.
He was taken to Northside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 7 p.m., according to the report. A Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's report found that Moten died of cardiovascular disease with diabetes and environmental exposure as contributing factors.
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