Resident alleges elder abuse and fraud, asks Springfield police oversight board to investigate

Resident Rhonda Latney told the Springfield Board of Police Commissioners on Jan. 29 that she and Raymond Ramey have sought, for years, investigations into alleged elder abuse, fraud and the deaths of several older residents, including her aunt, Alberta “Dolly” Howard.

Latney said she filed an initial complaint in May 2020 with Sergeant Karen Simmons of the Springfield Special Victims Unit and that a criminal case, Commonwealth v. James Charles Voatz, followed. She said subsequent investigations and internal complaints “kept getting shut down” and that her aunt, who she said was the city’s oldest living resident, died after being removed from her home while under a restraining order.

Latney asked the commissioners to “present the documentation to look into these inconsistencies” and to initiate an open investigation into alleged failures by the Special Victims Unit and other officials. She said the alleged conduct included impersonation, improper removal from home, and mismanagement of estate assets; she also said the aunt was buried in an unmarked grave in Oak Grove Cemetery. Latney said she had filed complaints with the Internal Investigations Unit, the district attorney’s office and the FBI.

A second speaker identified himself as Raymond Ramey and echoed Latney’s account, saying, “These two people have lost their life,” and urging the board to accept the evidence they had gathered.

Commissioners and board members told Latney they do not investigate criminal cases themselves and that complaints involving officers must be filed with the department’s Internal Investigations Unit (IIU). A board member also advised that if a crime is in progress or an immediate danger exists, the person should call local police. The board did not take any formal investigative action during the meeting.

Latney made additional allegations about what she described as illegal assisted-living operations at properties she named (126 Valley Road and 136 Valley Road) and said $450,000,000 in funding had been made available to some senior programs; she presented documents she said showed prior police reports and a 2020 incident assigned to Detective Gregory McCain. The board and staff reiterated the procedural limits of the commission’s authority and directed Latney to follow IIU and police reporting channels.

No formal motion or vote was taken on the allegations during the public-comment period; commissioners said the proper channels for officer-related complaints are IIU and, for criminal allegations, the police department and prosecuting authorities.

Latney and Ramey identified multiple people and offices in their statements, including Sergeant Karen Simmons, Detective Gregory McCain, Lieutenant Sheryl Catherine Ruth, district attorney personnel, and Mayor Sama. The board did not make findings, accept evidence, or schedule an investigative hearing at the meeting.