Arrest of woman with dementia highlights need for crisis intervention training in Santa Rosa County

SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — Prior to the arrest of 79-year-old Elizabeth Collins, who suffers from dementia, deputies had responded to her home in Santa Rosa County almost a dozen times since July of 2024 for various incidents stemming from Collins’s medical condition.

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On June 2, deputies said Collins attacked her husband with scissors and a hammer, believing he was an intruder.

Deputies said Collins’s husband wished to press charges, leaving them with no choice but to arrest her on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

To help better respond to calls involving individuals suffering with dementia or intellectual disabilities, the sheriff’s office says roughly half of their deputies have received crisis intervention training…

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