A 66-year-old Rome man is facing felony charges after Floyd County jail records say he threw a disabled 63-year-old woman against a door at his residence on North 5th Avenue, leaving her with visible bruising on both arms. Ricky George King was booked on charges of exploitation of disabled and elderly adults and battery following the alleged attack at a housing complex operated by the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority.
According to jail records reported by My K Country, the specifics of the alleged assault include the mechanism of the attack — King allegedly threw the woman against a door — details that offer more precision than earlier summary reports. Coosa Valley News had initially reported that King was accused of throwing the woman to the ground and listed her age as 66, a discrepancy from the jail booking records cited by My K Country, which list the victim as 63. Both accounts agree that police said she suffered visible bruising to both arms as a result of the encounter.
The address where the incident allegedly occurred, 906 North 5th Avenue, is home to Charles Hight High Rise I, a six-story, 101-unit mid-rise building reserved for low-income seniors and disabled residents, according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. It is one of three senior towers within a complex that together make up 303 public housing units. The Northwest Georgia Housing Authority, which manages the property, requires applicants to pass criminal background checks, landlord verifications, and personal reference reviews before being approved for a lease, per the agency.
Felony Exposure Under Georgia's Elder Protection Law
King's exploitation charge falls under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-102, a Georgia statute that criminalizes physical abuse, mental anguish, and exploitation of adults 65 and older as well as incapacitated adults 18 and up. A conviction under the law can carry between one and 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $50,000, or both, according to Peach State Lawyers.
The battery charge against King is separate and requires prosecutors to show he intentionally caused substantial physical harm or visible bodily injury, such as bruising, under Georgia Code § 16-5-23.1, according to the Georgia General Assembly. The bruising documented on the victim's arms would be the kind of physical evidence typically needed to sustain that charge.
How Elder Abuse Cases Move Through Floyd County
Criminal investigations into abuse of elder or disabled adults within Rome city limits are typically handled by the Rome Police Department or the Floyd County Sheriff's Office, then prosecuted through the District Attorney's Office of the Rome Judicial District, per the Schenk Firm. Local law enforcement in the area also coordinates through the North Georgia Elder Abuse Task Force, a group that shares case intelligence and trains officers on investigating mistreatment of elderly and disabled residents, according to the Floyd County Police Department.
Separate from any criminal case, Adult Protective Services — operated by the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services under O.C.G.A. § 30-5-1 — is the state agency tasked with investigating allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation involving vulnerable adults living outside institutional settings. APS caseworkers evaluate risk and can connect victims of community elder abuse with supportive services. Georgia law also makes it a misdemeanor for mandated reporters, including medical professionals, social workers, and law enforcement officers, to fail to report suspected abuse of elder or disabled adults to state protective authorities, under O.C.G.A. § 30-5-8.
The case echoes a larger elder and disabled adult abuse prosecution in Floyd County in September 2022, when seven people were arrested on 58 total counts after officers found three children and a disabled adult living in unsanitary conditions, according to WSB Radio. That investigation involved joint action between Floyd County police and county animal control. It remains unclear whether King's case will be referred for further review by Adult Protective Services or the elder abuse task force.
