Tue, 08/06/2019 - 8:45am

Sarah Shepherd

ROCKLAND — The charge against a Rockport woman who was accused of intentionally endangering the welfare of a dependent person by not providing medical care for her bedridden husband was dismissed Aug. 1 in Knox County Unified Court.

Shirley Cline, 69, will not be charged by the state since she had followed the terms of a deferred disposition agreement for one year reached by the state and Cline’s attorney in August 2018.

Cline appeared in Knox County Superior Court before Justice Joyce Wheeler Aug. 7, 2018. A deferred disposition agreement stated that if Cline followed a bail condition and completed a mental health evaluation then the charge would be dropped in August 2019.

If she did not follow the terms of the agreement and also engaged in any further criminal conduct, then the case would have gone to trial.

Cline had 60 days to complete the evaluation and was ordered to comply with counseling during the year.

She was indicted Jan. 2, 2018, by the Knox County grand jury for endangering the welfare of a dependent person, a Class C felony. She had entered a not guilty plea during her arraignment in Knox County Unified Court in August 2017.

The indictment for Cline alleged that “on or about between July 28, 2017 and Aug. 3, 2017, Cline did intentionally or knowingly endanger the health, safety or mental welfare of a dependent person, Ralph Cline, who was unable to perform self-care because of advanced age or physical or mental disease, disorder or defect.”

Ralph Cline was the husband of Cline who died Dec. 6, 2017. According to his obituary, he died at Coastal Manor in Yarmouth at the age of 83.

The affidavit filed by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in court, stated that they responded to the residence in August 2017 after Shirley Cline, the wife and caretaker, was transported to Pen Bay Medical Center, and St. George EMS reported that Ralph Cline was left alone in their home.

Before she was transported to the hospital, Shirley Cline had not made any arrangements for anyone to take care of her husband, who was unable to get out of bed and was unresponsive, according to EMS responders.

Police entered the home through a window since the door had been dead bolted from the inside and found the man covered in feces and needing medical care.

After Shirley Cline was discharged from the hospital, she was uncooperative with the Department of Health and Human Services and police during their investigation regarding the alleged lack of medical care for her husband, according to the affidavit.

Police also received reports that the wife did not feed the man, change his clothing and clean his wounds.

She told police that her husband’s medical needs were being met to the best of her abilities. She also said that the was skeptical of hiring agencies to help because of her past experiences.