But while there, lawyers said in court, the ALF stopped giving him medication because funds ran out, although they gave him insulin borrowed from another patient. Then the ALF checked him into Jackson North.

Then in early January, a Jackson case worker told the judge Tuesday, funding woes forced the hospital to move Abreu to the San Martin ALF.

Venzer chastised the case worker for ignoring a court order that mandated all placements be approved by the case judge.

“I want to make myself abundantly clear,” Venzer said. “I am so disturbed by this. Why do we go through these procedures if they are going to be ignored based on funding?”

Tuesday morning, Venzer also ordered a psychological evaluation of Abreu. That afternoon, the court-appointed psychologist called the ALF to make an appointment — only to learn Abreu had walked off.

Miami police later caught up with Abreu. No one notified prosecutors, Abreu’s defense lawyer or the courts until Wednesday morning.

Ed O’Dell, a spokesman for Jackson Memorial, declined to speak specifically about Abreu’s case because of privacy laws. But he said that the hospital system would review the case worker’s conduct.

“If any policies are found to have been violated, appropriate disciplinary and corrective action will be taken,” O’Dell said.

He also said that the hospital has no funding woes that would affect moving patients.

The South Florida Behavioral Network and the ALF owner did not respond to calls for comment.

The San Martin ALF, which has bed space for 12 patients, is in a residential neighborhood near the Miami River. Last year, state records show, the state cited the home for violations including not providing “exclusive” bed space for patients, a staff member sleeping for several days at the home and incomplete record-keeping.

Lawmakers have scrutinized ALFs in recent months after a Miami Herald series showed the state had allowed dozens of facilities to stay open, even after they had been caught abusing and neglecting residents to death.

New Horizons has been in the news before.

In 2009, the agency was supposed to monitor a Miami man, Sedrek Singleton, who was found incompetent on several criminal charges, which were later dropped. He was placed in a Liberty City ALF, where he allegedly bludgeoned his roommate and then killed another homeless man.

He was found incompetent after those attacks and now is in a secure state hospital.