A missing person alert posted by the Apopka Police Department last week has turned into a warrant for an Orange County woman. Deborah Hodge, 57, was arrested by the APD and charged with kidnapping, neglecting a disabled adult, and interfering with her custody.
In the report, the APD said they were called to the Quest Training Center on October 27th following the alleged kidnapping.
They posted the following alert:
"The Apopka Police Department is looking for a missing disabled Apopka woman.
Dorothy Fields Thomas was taken from her group home in Apopka today. She is believed to be in the company of Deborah Hodge.":
Employees at Quest told the APD that Hodge had entered the facility, retrieved Thomas, a woman with severe disabilities who was at the center, and then drove off with the disabled woman in an SUV, the warrant states.
According to investigators, Hodge managed a group home in Orlando, where she was a caregiver for Thomas and her sister. However, the sister died while at the facility, causing Hodge’s group home license to be revoked.
As a result, Thomas was placed in the care of another home care facility, where she was required to receive several doses of medication daily, the report said.
According to the report, Hodge tried to gain guardianship over Thomas, but a judge denied her application.
