DAYTON — The Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office will now have a prosecutor assigned specifically to pursue criminals who victimize the elderly.

Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck Jr. announced the forming of the Adult Protection Unit on Tuesday, July 8, at the Ellison Senior Citizen Center, 2412 W. Third St.

More than 2.1 million elderly Americans are the victims of neglect, physical or psychological abuse each year, Heck said.

About 90 percent of them are victimized by people they know. Roughly two-thirds are the victims' adult children or spouses, Heck said.

But for every reported case, Heck said, there are five more that are unreported, usually because the victims are ashamed or fearful of further retribution.

"The public is just not aware of it," Heck said.

Assistant county prosecutor Jennifer Heapy is assigned to the unit. Heapy said she expects to prosecute different types of cases, from assaults to financial crimes.

She will also do outreach and preventative education for seniors and those who provide services to them. She will conduct some training for EMTs and police officers on what signs to look for.

"Elder abuse is where domestic violence was 10 years ago," Heapy said. "So many of these cases go unreported."

For more information about the Adult Protection Unit, contact the prosecutor's office at 225-5757.