Toilet case involves a sticky issue

NESS CITY, Kan. - A man should be charged for allowing his girlfriend to sit on the toilet in their mobile home so long that her body became stuck to the seat, the sheriff said yesterday.

Kory McFarren, 36, told police that his girlfriend, Pam Babcock, 35, had a phobia about leaving the bathroom and might not have left it in two years, although he was unsure how long she had been there.

He said during that time, he brought her food, water, and clean clothes.

Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said that judging by the woman's condition - she had open sores on which the toilet seat would stick - it appeared she likely sat on the toilet continuously for at least a month.

"She would have to be sleeping on the toilet," the sheriff said.

Whipple asked the county attorney to charge McFarren for mistreatment of a dependent adult. The prosecutor did not return phone calls seeking comment.

"The unfortunate thing is, this truly is a case of two people, in my opinion, with diminished mental capacity," Whipple said.

Yesterday, McFarren said: "The only thing I am guilty of is I didn't get her help sooner."

McFarren, who works at an antiques store, said he has been taking care of Babcock for the 16 years they have lived together. He insisted that he tried to coax her out of the bathroom every day. The home has a second bathroom.

McFarren said he finally called police Feb. 27 after he became worried because Babcock was acting groggy, as if she didn't know what was going on around her.