Phoenix PD: Caretaker arrested for leaving wheelchair-bound man locked outside in direct sunlight for hours

PHOENIX - A wheelchair-bound man was stuck outside in front of his house for hours with the door locked, leaving him helpless under the hot Phoenix sun.

Police say the the person who left him out there, 49-year-old Earl Wintersmith, was his longtime friend and caregiver.

Now, Ray Wallace, 79, says he's looking for a new caretaker. Wintersmith was arrested and charged with one count of vulnerable adult abuse.

"He was in an unhappy mood when he came home, plus he'd been drinking. One thing led to another, and I told him to get out," Wallace said.

Phoenix police say Wintersmith bit Wallace twice on his arms, then wheeled him out on to the front porch, locking the door behind him.

Wallace was trapped on his aluminum wheelchair ramp in direct sunlight for two and a half hours. He couldn't wheel himself to shade. He was barely able to open his front door.

Police say Wallace didn't have any water, and the temperature outside was 105 degrees.

"I was hoping to see my neighbor across the street but they weren't home, so there was nobody to call," Wallace said.

Another roommate that lives in the house, who's also disabled, called for help.

When officers arrived, they found Wallace in his wheelchair, wearing a bathrobe and sweating profusely.

Wallace says he'll be alright. He's used to the Arizona heat. He's lived in his home for nearly 70 years.

Now, he's left to fend for himself.

"I want him to come back," Wallace told FOX 10.

"Why would you want him to come back?"

"Because that's not the norm for him," Wallace said.

Police, on the other hand, say this is the third time in the last two months that Wallace's caretaker has been accused of harming him. 

Wintersmith was ordered to move out of the victim's home and to not have any contact with him.