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Man accused of abusing vulnerable brother

Posted at 3:30 PM, Mar 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-11 20:54:08-05

A Phoenix man faces one count of abuse for allegedly punching his brother, knocking one of his teeth out. The brother reportedly suffers from a cognitive mental impairment, according to court documents.

According to police, Joe Medina is the primary caretaker for his brother, who is 53, but has the mental capacity of a pre-teen.

Police were first notified of the alleged assault in May 2015 by a behavior specialist the brother went to. Shortly after, according to police records, the brother was reported missing.

The report doesn't provide a specific date when the brother was reported missing, but he was reportedly located in October 2015, however, the detective on the case was not notified until December 2015.

Police said Joe did not return any of the detective's phone messages left on his cell phone, home phone nor after business cards were left at the home.

In May 2016, police learned of Joe's whereabouts and detained him for questioning. He reportedly admitted to slapping his brother for "lying and for other things" and said the tooth fell because of his brother's "bad hygiene."

Joe also told police he slapped his brother "to get his attention."

The report said state services was working with the brother to get him into a better environment.