MINDEN - A 49-year-old Topaz Ranch Estates man is set to enter a plea Nov. 30 to exploitation of an elderly person in connection with the death of his mother whose body was found on the back porch of the house they shared.
In exchange for a guilty plea charges involving possession of drug paraphernalia and use of methamphetamine are to be dismissed against Joseph Roybal.
He was arrested July 19 after deputies found the body of his mother, Jeannette Roybal-Granados, 79, on the porch of their home in Topaz Ranch Estates.
The criminal complaint for the gross misdemeanor states that the victim was too vulnerable due to physical and mental incapacitation to be left alone for more than a few minutes or hours.
Reports indicate that Roybal left her unattended from July 16-19.
A neighbor told deputies Granados suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
Roybal called for medical assistance early July 19 when he found his mother's body on the back porch.
His account of the last time he saw her alive varied from July 16 to July 18. He was arrested when deputies allegedly found drug paraphernalia and observed him to be under the influence of a controlled substance.
On his way to jail Roybal reportedly told deputies that he had been on a three-day methamphetamine binge.
Roybal said he didn't kill his mother. He said he left the residence July 17 and panicked when he discovered her body two days later, according to court documents.
He has since undergone substance abuse treatment and lived at a transitional residential center.
Roybal waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday in East Fork Justice Court.
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