GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The families of former residents of a chain of allege illegal care homes are speaking out in defense of the suspects.
The parents of one of the residents told Channel 2's Tony Thomas the operators are the reason their son is even still alive.
A judge ordered the nine suspects held without bond because they are a "danger to people."
But the family of one of their former residents said it's quite the opposite. They call the care home operators life savers.
"My son would be dead or in jail if it hadn't been for Dawn, that's how bad off he was. He was suicidal," said mother Sabrina Green.
Sabrina Green and Tracy Green said they want to do all they can to support jailed care home operator Dawn Walker and her family.
Police said the Walkers were running an illegal chain of 12 homes and neglecting some of their mentally impaired residents.
"Dawn is not exploiting or abusing anyone. She was helping people who no one else would help," Sabrina Green said.
"She also gave him a quality of life and made him feel included," said father Tracy Green told Thomas.
Gwinnett County police and state authorities simultaneously searched 12 homes earlier this month, took away bags of evidence and moved all the residents to other homes.
Investigators said the nine related suspects took residents' disability money without providing quality care.
"The victims are living in unsafe and unsupervised condition," Cpl. Deon Washington, of the Gwinnett County Police Department, told Thomas.
Walker, her husband, son and several other relatives are all being held without bond.
The Greens said their son is now living on his own after spending 20 months in two of the Walker homes, which they call supporting living centers.
"They need to let these good people out of jail so they can continue to help these mentally ill people," Sabrina Green said.
All the suspects will be in court Friday morning, trying to convince a judge to let them out on bond.
The Greens said they plan to be there as well.
WSBTV
