SAN DIEGO – An unlicensed care facility operator was convicted of elder abuse after a dementia patient got lost in his employee’s care, announced the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office Monday.

Simeon L. Samson pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of elder abuse and running an unlicensed care facility.

A judge sentenced Samson to 30 days in jail if he does not complete a year of probation, prosecutors said. He also must complete 40 hours of volunteer work at a nonprofit organization.

Samson is barred from owning or operating an unlicensed care facility or giving unlicensed care to anyone who requires assistance with routine daily tasks, the DA’s office said.

Mila Sison Basa, 67, an employee of Samson, was the co-defendant in this case and was given a misdemeanor court diversion to avoid jailing.

She was also required to do a day’s worth of community service and separate herself from Samson and his facility.

Samson used to own three care facilities in San Diego County: one in Oak Park, Chula Vista and another in Bay Terraces.

This whole case stems from a March 15, 2021, incident, when a patient was brought into the Oak Park facility. A social worker told Basa, an employee there at the time, that the patient was a flight risk and needed to be in a secure facility, prosecutors said.

The patient wandered out the front door within an hour of his arrival. Prosecutors said he was found the next day in Imperial Beach, walking in traffic.

Samson’s facilities are accused of only being able to help patients who can care for themselves, but the patient, in this case, has severe dementia, the DA’s office said.

Prosecutors claim that Samson did not have the skill to care for this type of patient.