Inside Bay Area - Woman pleads innocent to elder abuse, ID theft: "Dawna Smylie went to Greece with her daughter, bought a car, bought several thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise online and, in total, ran up more than $40,000 in credit card bills by the time she turned herself in to police.
Smylie, 32, of Castro Valley allegedly paid for it all using the identity and credit card of 82-year-old Maryann Townsend, whose family had hired Smylie to look after the elderly woman who suffered from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
'People need to be aware,' said Eileen McAnderew, a senior deputy district attorney with the Alameda County Elder Abuse Unit. 'Even with a trusted caregiver, you need to have a system of checks and balances. The reality is it's very easy to steal from sick and old people.'
When Townsend died in October 2006, her mail was picked up a few days later by a member of the family. That's when they noticed a Citibank credit card bill for $2,500. Townsend's son knew his mother did not have any credit cards and confronted Smylie about the bill.
'She cried and admitted to taking the money,' alleged Townsend's son, who asked that his name not be used. 'It wasn't all that much, so we basically said, 'Shame on you,' but we paid it off.'"
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