Caregiver Arrested In Elder Financial Abuse Case

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Police arrested a man suspected of stealing about $6,500 from an elderly client’s bank account while working as an in-home caregiver, authorities said.

The investigation began in October after deputies learned the older man's debit card had been used for a week to withdraw money from the victim’s bank, according to Windsor Police Sgt. Jason Little.

Surveillance video and other evidence led deputies to a 25-year-old man, who had been caring for the victim and stopped working for him the same day the first withdrawal occurred, Little said.

Investigators later learned the caregiver was a suspect in four other similar incidents, including a prior arrest, Little said.

In January, Windsor deputies, assisted by Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office property crimes detectives, searched his home on Apple Valley Lane in Santa Rosa, where they found evidence linking the caregiver.

Police arrested him on suspicion of grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft by use of a credit or debit card, and identity theft.