When Robby Hines left his mother’s care to a neighbor holding power of attorney after his mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he believed her house and assets would be safe and secure.

Then he learned that the neighbor left in charge of his 88-year-old mother had been removed from that position without his knowledge, that her home on West Hulett Road was being rented to a convicted sex offender and that another woman, Catherine Pitts, had taken over as the second power of attorney to his mother, Vivian Betty Hines.

Carroll County sheriff’s Sgt. Marc Griffith said no charges have been filed, and deputies are still investigating what, if any, action will be taken in the case.

Griffith confirmed that Vivian Hines, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in March 2008, had been moved from her home in Carrollton to Pitts’ house on Lake Paradise Road. Griffith said Robby Hines challenged Pitts’ power of attorney status and was awarded power of attorney over his mother’s affairs Monday in court.

Robby Hines, who is an only child, said he approved of a neighbor having power of attorney after his mother’s diagnosis since he lived several hundred miles away with his wife in Wisconsin. He said his father had first been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and concerns over his mother’s safety and financial assets prompted him to approve the neighbor as power of attorney.

“When I first found out there was a second power of attorney — this Ms. Pitts — I was shocked,” he said. “I came down to pick up mom as soon as I was able to get way from work with some vacation time.”

Robby Hines said he was appalled when he learned that a registered sex offender had moved into the West Hulett Road house, where his mother and father had lived for more than a decade. Authorities said David James Poag, 21, had been convicted earlier this year of child molestation and was living in the house.

“I found out that the registered sex offender had apparently said he has paid $5,000 as part of a lease-to-own contract on my mother’s house,” he said. “Right now I’ve been pulling records from the bank to see if any fraud or other items have been taken out of my mother’s account with the second power of attorney.”

Robby Hines said he is also in the process of trying to evict the current renter of his mother’s house while questioning how Pitts had obtained power of attorney status for his mother.

“Somehow Ms. Pitts got rid of the first power of attorney I had approved,” he said. “I’m not sure how, because how could my mom sign anything for that after she had been diagnosed? That’s why we had a power of attorney in the first place.”

After arriving in Carroll County, Robby Hines said he removed his mother from Pitts’ home and made the difficult decision to place her in a nursing home.

“Mom did look healthy, but she had probably not been properly bathed,” he said. “At first I wanted to move her with me, but that would not be fair to take her away from her friends and have her in four-feet deep snow in the cold winters. If she is here, then she could see her friends. When we finally got her out of Ms. Pitts’ home, she livened up, and now she just wants her house back.”

Griffith said Robby Hines first arrived in the county on June 22, when he met with investigators at the Sheriff’s Office and was referred to Probate Court to resolve the power of attorney issue.

“The son now has power of attorney, and right now the Sheriff’s Office is reviewing all of the information and facts to determine if action should be made,” Griffith said. “The son was concerned that his mother was taken advantage of and is vulnerable due to her medical condition. He was unaware she had been moved or that someone else was renting the house for $450 a month.”

Robby Hines said he will continue to pursue the issue to regain control of his mother’s house.

“Mom wants to go back to the house but can’t because of the eviction process, and we have to prove the paperwork was done maliciously,” he said. “I’m not going to back off until I get a good, solid answer. That’s not what you do for your mother.”

Pitts declined to comment.