Play The Man
08-10-2009, 07:17 PM
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090809/NEWS01/908090319/-1/SEVENDAYS
Janet Schulte believed the man when he told her by phone that his 40-something, disabled brother needed a caregiver who could bottle-feed him and change his diapers.
What the Melbourne woman can't believe is that he committed no crime, now that she said she has found out the situation was a charade: that the man and his brother were same person.
And that he didn't have the disabilities he claimed to have.
"I feel violated," Schulte said, sharing her story because she said the man has deceived other women and will try again. "I feel disgusted."
Investigators and prosecutors have refused to pursue charges, saying Schulte was paid and agreed to provide the care.
FLORIDA TODAY is not identifying him because he is not being charged.
"I consented to change his diapers, but I legitimately thought this man needed help," she said. "How can that not be a crime for him to come into my house and expose himself?"
The deception began, Schulte said, when she placed an ad online on Craigslist.org offering child care services.
She said a man called and asked Schulte if she knew any special-needs caregivers.
And, she said, his story went on.
The man told Schulte that a car accident left his brother with physical disabilities, including weak arms, poor bladder control and the mental capacity of a 5-year-old.
I took care of him just like I would my kids," she said. "I rubbed his head when he was falling asleep. I waited on him hand and foot."
In the three months Schulte provided care, she said the man never slipped out of character.
Schulte said his behavior was never sexual in nature. She briefly posted a warning on Craigslist, and she said five women wrote to her, saying they had nearly been taken in by the scam.
Some suggested that it might be an "adult baby" or "diaper-lover" fetish. Often, people with such fetishes want to be treated as babies and talk in barely audible voices, as the man did.:wacko:
Janet Schulte believed the man when he told her by phone that his 40-something, disabled brother needed a caregiver who could bottle-feed him and change his diapers.
What the Melbourne woman can't believe is that he committed no crime, now that she said she has found out the situation was a charade: that the man and his brother were same person.
And that he didn't have the disabilities he claimed to have.
"I feel violated," Schulte said, sharing her story because she said the man has deceived other women and will try again. "I feel disgusted."
Investigators and prosecutors have refused to pursue charges, saying Schulte was paid and agreed to provide the care.
FLORIDA TODAY is not identifying him because he is not being charged.
"I consented to change his diapers, but I legitimately thought this man needed help," she said. "How can that not be a crime for him to come into my house and expose himself?"
The deception began, Schulte said, when she placed an ad online on Craigslist.org offering child care services.
She said a man called and asked Schulte if she knew any special-needs caregivers.
And, she said, his story went on.
The man told Schulte that a car accident left his brother with physical disabilities, including weak arms, poor bladder control and the mental capacity of a 5-year-old.
I took care of him just like I would my kids," she said. "I rubbed his head when he was falling asleep. I waited on him hand and foot."
In the three months Schulte provided care, she said the man never slipped out of character.
Schulte said his behavior was never sexual in nature. She briefly posted a warning on Craigslist, and she said five women wrote to her, saying they had nearly been taken in by the scam.
Some suggested that it might be an "adult baby" or "diaper-lover" fetish. Often, people with such fetishes want to be treated as babies and talk in barely audible voices, as the man did.:wacko: