We first met James Greene and shared his story just one day after his rescue from three months being held captive in his wheelchair in the corner of an Everett hotel room.

"They would feed me my sleeping pills all day long," he said of the man and woman who masqueraded as his caretakers to allegedly steal his possessions and live off his government paid rent.

A quadriplegic from the combined injuries of a hit-and-run accident and advanced multiple sclerosis, he tried yelling for help when the couple would leave him alone for hours.

He says when they were in the hotel room with him they would ignore him in the corner, drape a curtain across the room to hide their activities from view, and refuse to feed him, give him water, or help him to the bathroom for five days at a time.

"I wouldn't even wish them on my worst enemy because they're bad. They're evil," he told us of the man and woman now in jail held on charges of unlawful imprisonment.

They were arrested Wednesday when a friend brought a police officer to the apartment after weeks of being denied the right to see and check on James.

So how does this happen to a Navy Vietnam veteran on full medical disability and under the supervision of the Office of Veterans Affairs?

"We're kind of tied, our hands are tied," said Veterans Service Center Manager Robert King at Seattle's downtown office for the Department of Veterans Affairs. "The veteran has to be willing to make certain choices to improve his life also."

King says the VA has recommended several times that James Greene agree to move to an assisted living facility where his government-paid care could be more closely monitored and controlled.

Greene has repeatedly refused and continues to refuse that move saying he'd rather survive on his own with the help of a hired caretaker. So instead the VA rules require a field examiner to check on him once a year.

King says that between the last field check and now the two alleged criminals stepped into his life and took over from the last approved caregiver who quit unannounced. James became a victim of who he inadvertently let into his life.

"Unless he were to be found incompetent and a guardian appointed through the court then we really can't force the veteran to live any particular place," said King explaining that Greene can't be forced to accept an assisting living or nursing home placement.

"It's been nice today. It's been great," Greene told us Friday in a follow up interview while still in the same Everett hotel room.

He says he is waiting for the VA to approve and possibly appoint a new "qualified" caregiver and a new home.

His friends say they have arranged to move him to an apartment in Lynnwood.

The VA says it can't approve the funding for that move until a qualified caregiver is found. They say that under the current circumstances they will be very particular in who they approve for him.

Even though he has a new set of friends who say they will take care of him now, they might not meet the VA criteria to be his caregiver. King says they will be very cautious in who they approve to work with Greene so that the same scam doesn't happen to him again.

Meanwhile James Greene spent Friday fielding phone calls from long-lost friends who said they had lost contact because they too couldn't get past the roadblocks put in their way by the man and woman holding him captive.

James friend also took him on long car rides and shopping trips Friday, the first such ventures outside since December.

"Things are looking good," he said. "They really are."

How To Help

KOMO 4 News has been flooded with response to this story with people wanting to offer help to James.

If you're interested in making a donation, you can call the People Helper at (206) 441-HELP, or you can email peoplehelper@komo4news.com.

Checks can be made out to:

People Helper
P.O. Box 19087
Seattle, WA 98109

On the bottom of the check, be sure to include to whom you would like the funds to go. In this case, it's James Greene. Or, indicate if you'd like to donate to the General fund. 100% of your donations go to people in need.

Your donations are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt by mail with our thanks. Any extra funds will go to the general People Helper fund to help others in need.