Mom Was 'Rotting' and 'Infested with Maggots' Before Son Called 911 for Help: Sheriff

47-year-old Jason Thomas Russell of Spring Hill has been charged with abuse and neglect of an elderly person and resisting an officer without violence after he called 911 for help on September 18. According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, Russell is the primary caregiver for his 79-year-old mother and called authorities after she "became unresponsive" at the home they shared.

Per an arrest affidavit via Law&Crime, he told dispatch her "eyes were open, and she was snoring and gurgling," but wasn't sure whether she was conscious. He also reportedly said he noticed a bleeding wound on her elbow.

"When Hernando County Fire Rescue arrived on scene, Russell had his mother sitting in a wheelchair in the driveway," said the Sheriff, who claimed Russell also "refused to let medical personnel into the home to check what medications his mother was taking."

She was taken to the hospital, where medical staff, per the police report, noted she was in "deplorable physical condition," was covered in waste, "multiple open sores" and "infested with maggots." The Sheriff added she was "malnourished, septic from multiple sources of infection, had pneumonia in her right lung, a urinary tract infection, and had areas of her skin that were rotting from infection."

Russell allegedly went back into the home and told deputies to "get a search warrant" after his mother was put into the ambulance, this after first responders claimed they saw him grab a "bottle of liquor" from the garage. According to authorities, he "did not make any statements," before he became "uncooperative" when told authorities needed to secure the home as a crime scene.

"Russell was arrested for Resisting an Officer without Violence after he knowingly entered an active crime scene after being instructed by deputies to remain outside," said the Sheriff.

Once they did get inside the home, deputies allegedly found "two heavily soiled couches covered in ants and flies," while also noting "a strong odor of ammonia" and "soiled women's clothing ... found in the living room along with a bedside commode."

Russell allegedly told police his mother "did not let him touch her or assist her," adding that he would "either dip her in the pool or wipe her with a cloth" to bathe her. When told she was "rotting" by police, he allegedly said her condition had worsened over the past six months, but she "refused" to go to the hospital.

According to the Sheriff, Russell's mother died September 20.

"Detectives assigned to the investigation will be working closely with the Medical Examiner and the State Attorney’s Office, in reference to the possibility of an upgraded offense if warranted," they added in a statement.

He's currently being held without bond, ahead of an October 22 arraignment.