A Southern California caregiver – tasked with caring for a family’s 80-year-old mom – will finally have her day in court, more than a year after dozens of videos posted on TikTok documented months of alleged horrific abuse.
During a hearing in Bakersfield this week, the judge denied a mental health diversion request by caregiver Julie Rothgeb after the terrible acts of her alleged abuse were exposed in more than 50 Ring videos posted on social media generating tens of millions of views.
Rothgeb is facing one misdemeanor count of assault and battery of elder or dependent adult abuse, according to documents obtained by The California Post.
Kern County DA said at the last court hearing, the judge dealt with the caregiver’s attorney’s mental health diversion filing in an effort to bypass trial and go straight to treatment. However, the judge ultimately denied it following the DA’s opposition.
The abuse includes allegations of “smacking” the elderly woman with a flyswatter, emotional, verbal and other physical abuse. There were also allegations that the caregiver forced the older woman to exercise for hours at a time while she was wearing weights on her ankles and wrists, 23ABC in Bakersfield reported.
Windy Duenas, the victim’s daughter, called the wait for justice “frustrating” noting that “every time there was a court date it was continued.”
“We just feel like there’s no rights for the victim and that everything about this case has been minimized down to nothing, and I have just lost faith in the justice system,” Duenas told the outlet.
“I am upset that we’re here. I am upset that these are the possibilities that are on the table for something so serious and with so much evidence.”
The family said when they first tried to pursue charges against Rothgeb the DA told the daughter there was insufficient evidence, according to the outlet.
“There’s over 50 videos that they had at the time of saying there wasn’t sufficient evidence,” Duenas previously said.
In 2025, a new DA reversed course, citing more evidence obtained through additional videos and statements, opting to charge Rothgeb with a misdemeanor, per the report.
“And later, for the same evidence they had the first time, they now say it’s worth going in for a misdemeanor — when it meets all the elements of several felony charges,” Duenas said.
Jeremy Oliver with Kern County Adult and Aging Services said his department investigated thousands of cases of elder abuse last year with dozens more that he said go unreported, per the report.
A jury trial date has now been set for June 29, 2026.
The Post reached out to the county’s Adult and Aging services for further comment.
