Monday, April 6, 1998 | 10:12 a.m.
BOULDER CITY -- Bob Baughman's former co-workers at the Monrovia, Calif., police department wouldn't believe it if they heard what the once-rogue cop is doing now.
An elderly abuse investigator in a small Nevada town who in his spare time records gospel songs?
It may sound like a tall tale to some, but sitting in the Boulder City Police Department, the 55-year-old detective talks about how fed up he is with the type of criminals he has arrested in the last decade.
He rattles off the names of victims as if they were family -- Edith, Josephine, Madeline. But these women are only a few of the frail Boulder City senior citizens who have been cheated, neglected or abused.
"When people get old, they seem to go back to their childhood," said Baughman, Boulder City's sole elderly abuse detective. "They're naive and trusting and they lose their life savings because of it."
He deals with people who repeatedly fall for scams and elderly men who beat their wives because they can barely stand to watch their loved one lose a battle with Alzheimer's disease.
"You have to be patient with them," Baughman said. "You have to have the patience of a saint."
Patient is a word no one ever used to describe Baughman when he was a young officer in the Los Angeles area.
Baughman was a clean-cut kid out of the San Gabriel Valley who never even used foul language, but it didn't take long for him to establish an unflattering reputation within the department. He refuses to repeat the nickname fellow deputies awarded him.
"It was bad," Baughman said. "I was violent and I'm not proud of it. When people resisted arrest, I was a terror. There were broken wrists, knees, ribs ..."
Baughman said it was the crimes he saw during his first five years on the force that turned him into a cynical and violent officer.
It was the man at the gas station whose throat was slit from ear to ear. It was the woman who died in Baughman's arms after being stabbed 28 times by her ex-husband, who eventually left the knife in her sternum.
It was the constant burglary calls, the shootings, domestic fights and armed robberies. It was a justice system that allowed criminals to go free because there was simply no more jail cells.
"As an officer you are a savior, a knight in shining armor, a doctor, a psychologist, a family therapist -- the prestige of wearing a uniform and having all this power ... after awhile, it eats you alive," Baughman said.
Maybe Baughman owes a rape suspect for forcing a change in his life. While chasing the man through a Los Angeles neighborhood, Baughman slipped on the muddy banks of a pond and shattered his knee cap.
He continued his pursuit until the man appeared around a corner with a board and blasted Baughman's knee again. The injury eventually forced Baughman out of the department.
"It was a blessing," he said.
Twenty years ago, Baughman became a patrol officer in Boulder City, a town of about 15,000 residents, many of whom are senior citizens. Three years later, he was promoted to detective.
And in 1987, his line of work changed forever.
A case Boulder City Attorney Bill Andrews passed along to Baughman turned into the most significant case ever handled by the police department.
More than 50 senior citizens had been bilked of $2.1 million by a Boulder City tax preparer and accountant who claimed to be starting a large business. Knowing exactly how much the elderly residents had in their life savings, Lynn Lakers convinced them to invest in her business so she could buy computers, Baughman said.
Lakers bought about five computers and the remainder of the money supported her lavish lifestyle -- an elegant home with a spa and a number of vehicles, according to Baughman.
Baughman spent two years on the case and Lakers, who pleaded guilty to a reduced number of felonies, was eventually sentenced to five years in prison.
"All these people trusted this woman; they loved her," Baughman said.
The detective's personal experiences have contributed to his sensitivity. He watched his father struggle during the years after his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Baughman has since been called to investigate abuse cases in which the husband has battered his wife, who suffered from the disease.
He refused to put the elderly man in jail. Instead, he notified the Department of Social Services and had a social worker assigned to help the man take care of his wife in their home.
"This man had the natural reaction. To see your wife deteriorating, it's heartbreaking," Baughman said. "You have to understand that. You can't put them in jail."
Sherry Henderson, a social worker in the senior protective division of the Clark County Social Services Department, said to have a police officer so committed to elderly people is unique.
The most common senior-related issues in Boulder City are exploitation and self-neglect, Henderson said. And no matter what the case is, Baughman takes it seriously, she said.
"We collaborate together on many cases to make sure the seniors here are safe," Henderson said. "He is highly involved and concerned and that is unusual."
Baughman's career is winding down; he hopes to retire in a year. When he has a little spare time, he plans to record a compact disc comprised of gospel songs.
"I've spent 31 years in this business," Baughman said. "I don't hate going to work. I enjoy my job even though I still see the seedy side of life. I have a sense of peace."
archive
