Trial begins in case of stroke patient who said he was beaten

A jury trial began Tuesday for a Columbus woman accused of beating a disabled man under her care.

Kimberly Jo Fields, 51, is formally charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon and battery against a disabled person – both Level 5 felonies.

Stroke patient Loren P. Jacobs, Jr., died in Indianapolis on June 26, 2015 – three months after the Vietnam War veteran was beaten in his residence within Candlelight Village mobile home park.

Jacobs, a 66-year-old truck driver, had invited Fields to stay with him rent-free in exchange for her care in his recuperation, according to police reports.

On the evening of March 3, 2015, police were summoned to Jacobs’ Longshore Drive residence after receiving a report of battery, according to a probable cause affidavit filed May 14, 2015 by Columbus Police investigator Michael Beerwart.

When officers arrived, blood was visible throughout the residence, as well as on a broom handle, Beerwart wrote.

Jacobs – who was paralyzed on the left side of his body from the stroke- told investigators Fields had beat him repeatedly with a lengthy piece of wood, the affidavit stated.

Jacobs was treated for multiple cuts and bruises at Columbus Regional Hospital, including a deep gash to his right arm that appeared to have been inflicted while he was defending himself, Beerwart wrote.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.