Plea Deal Agreed to in Abuse Case

A Taney County woman accused of abusing her disabled husband and child could be heading to state prison after taking a plea agreement with prosecutors which dropped 13 of the 15 charges against her.

The full story below from Jason Wert of the Branson Tri-Lakes News:

Ann Schilling pleaded guilty to two counts of Financial Exploitation of an Elderly or Disabled Person with a property value involved of $1,000 to $49,999. The two counts are Class B felonies in Missouri, which have a sentencing guideline of 5 to 15 years per count, which can include conditional release.

Taney County Prosecutor William Duston told Branson Tri-Lakes News he will be asking the judge to sentence Schilling to 10 years in prison.

As reported in September, Schilling was arrested in connection with allegations of abuse of her disabled husband and daughter. 

Court documents alleged Schilling used the $1,500 a month Social Security payments from her husband to purchase drugs. She was accused of not feeding her husband the diet prescribed by his physicians for his diabetes, resulting in massive weight loss, and she is alleged to have kept him from going outside for a year prior to his being moved from the home.

Schilling’s husband reportedly had to crawl from his bed to the bathroom, reportedly not making it to the bathroom many times and urinating in the hallway or his bed. Court documents stated the floors of the home were so covered with feces and cockroaches you “could not take a step” without stepping on one of the two.

The victim told police he went six to nine months without being bathed.

When EMTs found Schilling’s husband before his removal from the home, his blood sugar was too low to be measured and he was soaked in urine, telling the first responders his wife had been “feeding him candy.”

Schilling’s daughter, which court documents describe as “cognitively challenged” and a witness aid had the mentality of a 12-year-old, told investigators her mother was pimping her out for drugs. Court documents say Schilling is accused of also using her daughter’s monthly $583 Social Security payment for drugs.

Sentencing for Schilling is scheduled for May 4, 2022 before Judge Jeffrey Merrill.

Schilling’s co-defendant, her son Andrew Dennis Vandorn, is still facing multiple charges including sexual assault related charges, with his next scheduled court appearance March 4.