Authorities say Ava Washington was recorded striking her father months before her case was set for trial.
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — A video described in a Hardin County arrest citation is at the center of a felony case against a woman accused of abusing her father with dementia.
Ava Washington, 47, was arrested in December after her husband told deputies on Oct. 2, 2025, that she had abused her father and that he had recorded it, according to public reports of the case. She is charged with wanton abuse or neglect of an adult. The case has since expanded in court to include allegations about the father’s hygiene and daily care, while Washington’s attorney says she has a strong chance of acquittal.
The recording described by authorities begins with the father in a vulnerable position. He was sitting on the edge of a bed and trying to put on clothes. Washington then allegedly entered the room, began yelling and struck him in the groin area with the back of her hand. The citation says she continued yelling and struck him two more times in the same area. Public reports do not say who started recording, where the recorder was placed, or whether the video captured the full interaction from beginning to end.
The husband’s role makes the case unusual. He was not described as an outside witness, a neighbor or a medical worker. He was Washington’s spouse, and he reported his own wife to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office. His call gave investigators a direct accusation from inside the home. It also created a possible trial issue, because Washington has indicated she believes the allegations may have been retaliatory. Hardin County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Teresa Logsdon referred to that position in court, saying Washington feels the claims were made by somebody acting in retaliation or something of that nature.
Logsdon said the father was later placed in state care. She also described complaints that went beyond the alleged striking. The father had been found in his own feces and urine, had feces under his fingernails, and was eating with his hands, Logsdon said. The prosecutor said the caregiving in the case was not good. Those details may be used to show the father’s condition while he was under Washington’s care, but public reports do not say who observed them, when they were documented, or whether photos, medical notes or adult protection reports exist.
Washington’s defense has not accepted the state’s account. Her attorney said she has a very solid chance of being found not guilty. He also said she faced health problems while jailed at the Hardin County Detention Center. The reports do not identify the health problems or say whether they affected her release. They also do not say whether the defense has asked the court to exclude the recording, obtain additional records, or question the husband’s motive before trial.
The arrest came about two months after the report to deputies. Local coverage said the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office arrested Washington on a Wednesday in December and charged her with wanton abuse or neglect of an adult, a Class D felony. She was lodged at the Hardin County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash bond. Later reporting said jail records showed the same charge and that Washington had been released from the detention center days before the April update on the case.
The calendar matters because it shows how the case moved in stages. The reported abuse was brought to deputies on Oct. 2. The arrest followed in December. Public attention returned in April, when the case was described in connection with Washington’s release and the upcoming fall trial. The next scheduled milestone is Oct. 13. No public report says the trial has been moved, that a plea deal has been reached, or that the charge has been dismissed.
The legal question is narrower than the public reaction to the facts. Prosecutors must prove the charged crime under Kentucky law. The statute treats wanton abuse or neglect of an adult as a Class D felony. The accusation may involve both the alleged blows and the care conditions described by the prosecutor, but the commonwealth must connect the evidence to the legal elements of the offense. Washington remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The father’s medical condition adds another layer to the evidence. Authorities say he has dementia, but public reports do not provide his age, diagnosis, medications or ability to describe events. If he cannot testify, the case may rely more heavily on the video, the husband’s testimony, deputies, care records and any witnesses who saw his condition. If he can testify, lawyers may still question how dementia affects memory and communication. Those questions are common in cases involving vulnerable adults, but the answers depend on the person’s condition and the evidence collected.
The family setting may shape how jurors hear the case. Prosecutors are expected to portray the father as a vulnerable adult under the care of his daughter, with the recording and hygiene complaints showing a failure of protection. The defense is expected to press the possibility of retaliation, the limits of the video, and any gaps in documentation. The case may also raise questions about whether Washington was the only caregiver and whether others had knowledge of the father’s condition before the sheriff’s office became involved.
For now, the public record remains incomplete. It does not include the full arrest citation, the video itself, medical records, adult protective services findings or a full transcript of court arguments. What is known is that Washington was charged, released, and set for trial; her father was placed in state care; and both sides have already previewed the central dispute.
The case is pending in Hardin County with trial set for Oct. 13. Prosecutors point to a recording and care complaints. Washington’s lawyer says the evidence can be beaten in court.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.