Missing man with dementia found by Pasadena police
LOS ANGELES - The missing man with dementia who was dropped off at a gas station by California Highway Patrol officers has been located, police said Thursday.
The update comes a couple of weeks after the family's attorney called for increased efforts to find him by Christmas.
Douglas James, 62, was a passenger in a car being driven by his twin brother, Donald, on Nov. 5, when they were stopped by the CHP and Donald was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk.
The family says James, who has dementia, went missing after CHP officers dropped him and his dog, Teddy Bear, at an ARCO gas station inTorrance -- 12 miles from their home in South Los Angeles.
Donald James said that after his arrest, officers drove him back to the apartment he shares with his brother, but Douglas wasn't there, although the dog was found five days later in the Wilmington area, the family says.
Attorney Mark Ravis said that James was arrested for vagrancy and will be released on Friday morning. He will be reunited with family at a news conference at the federal courthouse at 312 N. Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles at noon, when more details about his case will be released.
Family members actively sought assistance in finding James, including a request of assistance from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and two requests of the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
CHP officials previously issued a statement saying Douglas James was able to communicate clearly with the officers, who followed policy by dropping him off in a safe, public place.
But the CHP said in light of the family's concerns, the agency is reviewing the officers' actions.
Further details about James' health and how he was located were not immediately available.
He was found by Pasadena police, according to the LAPD.