A caretaker has been charged with ripping off a Villager suffering from dementia.
Katelyn Marie Haire, 30, of Belleview, was arrested this week on warrants charging her with fraud and theft.
Haire had been hired through Assisting Hands to work for a woman living in the Village of Pine Ridge, according to an affidavit of probable cause on file in Lake County Court.
In November, the woman and her son contacted law enforcement after discovering several fraudulent transactions on the Villager’s credit card.
The Villager said Haire had been allowed to use her credit card to go shopping at Publix at Colony Plaza and to pickup prescriptions at Walgreens.
A Fruitland Park Police Department detective began looking into the credit card purchases and found that Haire had gone on Oct. 26 to the Walgreens at Colony Plaza and picked up the woman’s prescription. Haire also purchased Only the Brave cologne for men, Cerave Itch Relief, Mucinex DM and Alocane Emergency Burn Spray.
Further investigation revealed that Haire used the Villager’s credit card to pay her Duke Energy bill in Belleview.
In addition, Haire ordered rings from Amazon and the detective found photos on social media of Haire and her boyfriend showing off the rings.
During an interview with police, Haire claimed that she and the Villager had a “mother daughter” relationship and claimed the the Villager volunteered to pay her utility bills. Haire initially denied using the Villager’s credit card to purchase the rings, but after she was confronted with the social media photos, she claimed she had used the Villager’s credit card “accidentally.” Haire also claimed she’d purchased the men’s cologne at Walgreens for the Villager’s son, but in the followup interview, the son said he doesn’t wear cologne and the purchase had not been authorized.
As a result of the warrants being issued, Haire was arrested by Marion County sheriff’s deputies. She was booked at the Marion County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.
