SCOTTSDALE, AZ — An assisted living facility under state scrutiny after the death of a resident last year was recently sold to a new owner.
Brookhaven on 131st Place recently closed because of a change in ownership, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).
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.
Brookhaven has been under state scrutiny since the death of 85-year old Bob Pollmann in the summer of 2024. He was a retired teacher who had Alzheimer’s disease. His family moved him into assisted living for his safety, first in his home state of South Dakota and later in Scottsdale to be closer to family.
Pollmann was at Brookhaven for less than a month when he left the home unsupervised. Staff didn’t notice him leaving, according to a police report. Surveillance video released by Scottsdale police shows him walking out an unlocked front door on a June afternoon. Another resident follows him. She returns. Bob does not.
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Two days later, a neighbor found his body in a wash behind her home. He was about 800 feet from his care home, according to a police report.
ABC15 has reported extensively on what the long-term care industry calls “elopements.” Elopements happen when a resident, often someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, leaves a care facility without staff knowledge. In the Phoenix area, elopements can be especially dangerous because of the triple-degree heat in the summer.
As of this past July, assisted living facilities licensed in Arizona that offer memory-care services are now required to report elopements to ADHS. The state also now mandates special training and elopement “drills,” designed to help keep residents safe.
State regulators cited and fined Brookhaven after Pollmann’s death. Brookhaven is also the subject of a civil lawsuit filed by Pollmann’s family and joined by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Pollmann’s family has settled their involvement in the lawsuit, according to court records. But the AG’s office has not.
ABC15 reached out to the AG’s office for comment on the latest developments involving the change of ownership. The AG’s office said its lawsuit will continue and is unaffected by the sale to new ownership.
ABC15 reached out to the owners of Brookhaven for comment, but has not yet heard back.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at: anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X and Facebook.
