A 31-year-old certified nursing assistant has been sentenced for ripping off an 81-year-old woman who was a patient at Villages Rehab.
Constance M. Perkins, 31, of Ocala, was arrested in March after Lady Lake police issued a bulletin seeking her arrest.
The victim had been admitted at Villages Rehab on County Road 466 in early February. She was very sedated at the time of her arrival, but she remembered a woman entering her room, asking her for her maiden name and then leaving the room quickly, according to an investigative report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
The patient’s daughter reported that her mother’s credit card was missing and then started noticing odd purchases on the card. Purchases were made at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Ocala, Hungry Howie’s in Lady Lake, Arby’s, RaceTrac, justbats.com, Rack Room Shoes and Edible Arrangements.
A Villages Rehab supervisor told police that Perkins might be a suspect. An employee told police that she believed Perkins was part of a credit card ring. Villages Rehab personnel also pointed out that Perkins was an enthusiastic softball player and police were able to trace an email address Perkins used for the justbats.com purchase. A Hungry Howie’s manager told police that a delivery paid for with the stolen credit card had been delivered to Villages Rehab. The Hungry Howie’s delivery driver confirmed the pizza had been delivered to Perkins. Perkins apparently stopped showing up for work when she became aware of the investigation.
She was arrested on charges of exploitation of the elderly, criminal use of personal information and grand theft.
Perkins entered a plea of no contest to a lesser charge of grand theft of a person over the age of 65.
She has been placed on probation for four years, fined $262.50 and is facing more than $1,000 in court costs.
