PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has reached a settlement with an assisted living facility and its owners following the heat-related death of a resident with dementia who wandered away from the facility in summer 2024.
According to a news release from Mayes's office, the settlement involves Brookhaven on 131st Place, LLC and its owners, Levi and Holly Walker, over repeated failures to maintain proper door alarms at their assisted living home.
The case stems from the death of Robert J. Pollmann in June 2024.
Shortly after moving in, Pollmann walked out the front door and was found dead two days later, according to the release.
The Arizona Department of Health Services had found that Brookhaven Home did not have properly functioning door alarms on exit doors, both before and on the day of Pollmann's disappearance.
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The state intervened in a lawsuit filed by Pollmann's daughter and alleged violations of the Adult Protective Services Act and the Consumer Fraud Act. Officials argued that the facility's repeated failure to ensure working door alarms led to Pollmann's death.
Mayes said that dementia patients are prone to wandering, and occasional escapes are inevitable.
"Alarms save precious time that could mean the difference between life and death," Mayes said.
The settlement says that the Walkers, who are Iowa residents, must divest from Brookhaven. They are prohibited from engaging in any activities or investments involving care for vulnerable adults in Arizona for five years. After that period, they must notify the Attorney General's Office of any application submitted to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
As ABC15 previously reported, records from the Arizona Department of Health Services show Brookhaven on 131st Place closed last year and changed ownership. The new owner then applied for a license to operate an assisted-living facility at the same location, according to state records. The newly licensed facility is using a different name and is licensed for up to 10 residents.
ABC15 reached out to the Walkers on Thursday for comment on the settlement, and they declined to comment.
