Convicted Felon Ran Missouri Group Home

Fire, Believed Accidental, Killed 10 At Facility For Mentally Ill And Elderly

(CBS/AP)  As investigators sifted through the rubble of a group home where a fire killed 10 people, questions were raised about why a convicted felon was hired as the operators' executive director, what caused another fire at the facility two days previously, and whether fire-code violations at a sister home three years ago had any connection to the latest blaze.

Investigators expect to rule out arson as the cause of a fire, a police spokesman said Tuesday.

Sgt. Jason Clark of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said he did not "foresee that something through the night will lead us to believe that this is an arson investigation."

Clark said authorities do not have any suspects or persons of interest in connection with Monday's blaze at Anderson Guest House. He declined to answer any other questions about investigators' findings.

The operator of the home has been cited in recent years by the state of Missouri for the "most severe" violations of fire laws in two other facilities it runs, details CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian.

"We're not saying it is definitely a crime scene, but we are treating it as if it is and trying to determine if the fire was set by somebody who had a nefarious motive," Gov. Matt Blunt said.

The group home is operated by Joplin River of Life Ministries Inc. Robert Joseph Dupont, the ministries' executive director, issued a statement Monday expressing sadness and saying all displaced residents were being cared for with the help of local agencies.

Dupont, 61, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud in 2003 for his part in a scheme to bilk the federal Medicare program by steering patients from group homes he owned — including the one in Anderson — to hand-picked doctors. Those doctors, in exchange, falsely certified that the patients needed home health services from two companies Dupont owned or co-owned, according to federal records.

Dupont was sentenced to 21 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. Earlier this year, a federal judge rejected Dupont's efforts to persuade the court to vacate that conviction.

Dupont was listed as a ministries' officer in the group's 2002 articles of incorporation. As a convicted felon, he is not allowed under state law to hold such a position with a long-term care facility, Gonder said.

Investigators interviewed Dupont and group home residents, including some survivors. A ministries employee said Dupont was unavailable for further comment.

Authorities were also trying to determine if the blaze was linked to a smaller fire at the facility Saturday morning, Assistant Fire Marshal Greg Carrell said. No one was injured in that fire, which was still under investigation when the second blaze began.

Inspectors from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which licenses the facility, found some deficiencies at the home in March but none related to fire safety, agency spokeswoman Nanci Gonder said.

The home is a residential care center that is licensed to allow mentally ill residents to live at the home and receive treatment elsewhere. The home had fire alarms but no sprinklers.

The dead ranged from their early 20s to elderly. Eighteen people were taken to hospitals and six were treated at the scene. Inside the home were 32 residents and two employees — a husband and wife — when the fire was reported, highway patrol spokesman Kent Casey said.

Two dozen people were injured. One was in serious condition Monday evening. All the other survivors were either in good or fair condition or had been treated and released.

Neighbor Betty Wood heard the screams and ran out to help. "You could just tell they were in shock. They just couldn't get their eyes off the fire," she told CBS News correspondent Lee Cowan.

The Missouri Mental Health Task Force issued a draft report last month demanding far more protection inside all homes for the mentally disabled. The chief concern was the state's failure to follow its own rules in supervising operators of those homes, Keteyian reported.

In October 2003, another group home operated by Joplin River of Life Ministries was cited for fire-code violations, including intentionally disabling fire equipment, records show.

The 12-bedroom residential facility in Joplin, known as Guest House II, "failed to repair a malfunctioning fire alarm system for at least two weeks and did not implement a fire watch during that time," according to an Oct. 23, 2003, memo by the health department's deputy director for long-term care. A copy of the document was provided to The Associated Press by the Missourian Coalition for Quality Care, a Jefferson City-based nursing home industry watchdog.

Employees also "placed a pencil in the reset switch to prevent fire alarm activation and failed to reset two pull stations," the health department memo said.

A state investigation report indicates no one took responsibility for the broken fire alarm. The administrator claimed not to have been notified about it; the facility manager claimed to have reported it three or four weeks earlier to the maintenance person; and the maintenance person claimed to have been notified only on the day of the inspection.

Gonder said that facility closed on July 15, 2004. But Joplin River of Life Ministries continues to operate three group homes in Joplin and a fourth in nearby Carl Junction.

State inspectors also cited a ministries' group home in Carthage in October 2003 for failing to obtain a required annual fire inspection and being unable to ensure that staff members could unlock rooms from the outside in case of emergency, the Joplin Globe reported.

I really get a kick out of the words that CBS uses such nefarious, Katie Couric has a word of the day, I wonder if this is one of them, why not just say what you mean, and not use words that most americans (oops most people now)

[mmamot]

It is always a shame when stories like the one of the fire at the home for the elderly and disabled in Missouri are used to point out problems in human services. The solution insinuated last night was that more regulations or sprinklers may have avoided this tragic fire. It was also pointed out that such homes have proliferated since the deinstitutionalization that was started in the 60's. What was not stated is that private providers are paid a small fraction of the cost that the same person are funded at in state run institutions. The regulatory process is based solely on a punitive system. Solutions and resources are not offered, nor are positive things providers are doing pointed out as part of the regulatory process. We know historically, this type of approach never succeeds and surely does not result in improved services. Lastly, with the lack of resources available, most direct care staff members are poorly paid and trained. It is sad that hair dressers receive between 50 to 100 times more training hours than those persons who care for our most vulnerable Americans.

I am not defending the Missouri provider. However, unless some of these other issues are addressed, we can anticipate more tragedies. I would instead like to see a focus on what types of resources ought to be available and if persons in regulatory positions truly understand the cost of the human services they are empowered to hold accountable.

Michael Mamot

[gramto7]

Our local nursing facility is a bit better run than this one appears to have been, thankfully. If it weren't, my doctor who is the medical director of that facility would have no qualms raising hell. I got lucky and found a really good doc.
That being said, I am myself disabled with a painful disorder that prevents me working. Thank goodness and my late husband, I do not have to depend on welfare. I am not rich, but can buy groceries and pay most of my bills with the help of my brother who lives with me.

I am currently in the process of moving out of my bedroom to give it to my 92-year-old grandmother. She must either live with family or go to a nursing home. She is fully capable of caring for herself, but could at any time have another episode of severe hypoxia like I found her in 2 dys prior to her 92nd birthday. I cannot risk her being the one who is hurt in a facility when I could have given my room and kept her from that.

[james138c]

Well put it this way, from what I hear. The person who owned the care facility went to jail for ripping off the government over $500,000 dollars in scams from medicade and other means of payments... The facility is now owned by someone else in the family

[cornflower3]

scary story, especially for someone like me who is trying to stay independent, even tho it's been suggested to go live in some sorty of home because i'm disabled and cannot walk. they've cut off section 8 in pennsylvania for three to five years which would help peoplel ike me and putting us and others out on the street homeless. story didn't describe how many were inhouse taking care of the people and if they ran just to save themselves like what happened to the elderly katrina victims and were left to die in the nursing homes. at least trying to stay independent i know i can throw myself outside my bedroom window somwhow and then roll away, i wouldn't be left trapped in a home listening to people dying around me.

[vmroad089]

Wicked is a term that fits, nefarious meaning wicked. The point that the fire is "suspicious" concerns me more than the term. If this is true, it only shows how far we have regressed into our evil mindless worlds. What makes it all very sad is the fact that it causes argument rather than reasonable conversation in an attempt to find out %u201Cwhy.%u201D

[cantshutup]

you are right James138C...
blunt IS retarded!!!!!...hell, I don't even know why he cares ANYONE died in that fire considering he gutted state programs that help the elderly, poor and disabled...All that demented *** cares about is how far he can get his nose up bushies arse!!! Oh, and the fact that his wife had a baby on taxpayer dollars!

[tinker3478]

James, you've hit on what is an issue for every facility like this I know of. It is a mess! Legislatures cap what we can receive by failing to match federal dollars at the state level; then, they mandate staff and standards. Reimbursement levels are so low that most facilities could not afford to upgrade if they wanted too-and the big chains only care about the money so it is a cinch they aren't spending it on patients. I was a nursing home administrator in Texas for two years and a DON for lots more. There is no telling what I have paid for out of my pocket just to "meet standards."

[james138c]

blunts retarded, up to the health officials (HAHA) all they care about is getting a paycheck....... 2 workers for 32 ppl isnt enough my family owns and runs a level 1 care facility with only 16 max. (state says if we get any more than that we have to hire more employees, so u tell me

[tinker3478]

Maybe they said "nefarious" because it was still dark?

That's a joke!

[cacashes]

"Nefarious Motive"?! LOL!
Even "arson" has a new-and-improved politically-correct name (i.e.:"hunger" has become "low food security"). Soon, nothing will SOUND as bad as it is - as opposed to "nothing is as BAD as it sounds..."
Hmmph....hmmmph...hmmmph!

[tinker3478]

Nefarious motive? Is that what they are calling arson these days? Whatcha wanna bet the building was insured to the gills? Follow the money, people, follow the money!

[james138c]

housing was probably old, alot of neglect here in missouri when it comes to care facilitys

very little information in this story, how old was the building?