“He clearly suffered from severe, severe neglect… it caused significant, possible permanent injuries to the victim,” a prosecutor reportedly said of the man’s injuries

An Arizona man has been arrested after allegedly leaving his disabled son in a tub for weeks.

Melvin Shimkus, 52, was arrested on a charge of vulnerable adult abuse after allegedly leaving his 31-year-old son, Hunter Shimkus, in a bathtub for seven weeks, according to the Mesa Police Department (MPD) and local outlets, AZ Family, 12 News and Fox 10 TV.

According to police and court documents obtained by the outlets, officers responded to a call shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday, June 29 about Hunter — who “has a nerve disease that prevents him from walking and limits the use of his hands” — being left in the bathtub for several weeks.

When officers arrived on the scene and entered the bathroom, they “located an adult male in extremely poor physical condition and smelled a pungent odor,” police told PEOPLE in a statement. They said the man had “one leg appeared bent 90 degrees in the wrong direction.”

Officers described the man’s appearance in court documents, saying that he was “extremely emaciated” and “the muscles were gone, leaving only skin and bone,” according to AZ Family and 12 News. There were also reportedly “oozing sores throughout his body,” the outlets reported.

“He clearly suffered from severe, severe neglect,” a prosecutor said, according to AZ Family and 12 News. “The neglect was [so] extreme that it caused significant, possible permanent injuries to the victim.”

MPD said the man was taken to an area hospital.  Melvin was determined to have been “serving as the victim’s caretaker,” police said.

When officers interrogated him, he told them that he had been caring for his son over the past year and placed him in the bathtub a week earlier, according to AZ Family. He reportedly told officers that when he checked on his son the same day, he found one of his legs bent in the opposite direction.

He also told officers that he offered to take his son to the hospital, but that the 31-year-old refused multiple times, per AZ Family, 12 News and Fox 10 TV.

Another family member living in the home told officers that Hunter had been in the tub since May 16, which had been the last time authorities were called there. She claimed that Hunter refused medical attention, despite the family repeatedly trying to get him medical care, per AZ Family.

“Everything was done that we could do,” Hunter’s aunt, Carol Scofield, told AZ Family. “Everyone tried to convince Hunter to go to the hospital. Hunter said no. When the paramedics came, he said no. They turned around and walked off, said we can’t touch him. He’s an adult.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the City of Mesa City Attorney’s Office for comment on the case.

Melvin, who made his initial court appearance in court on Tuesday, June 30, was booked into jail and is currently being held on $12,000 bond.

The MPD said the incident is still under investigation.

Source: https://people.com/ariz-father-detained-after-allegedly-leaving-disabled-son-in-tub-for-weeks-12011886