Elder Abuse
Belleville, Ontario - A 33 year old Belleville woman was arrested and charged on September 16thfollowing a six month investigation into a local case of elder abuse.
Members of the Belleville Police Service Criminal Investigations Branch launched an investigation following a complaint from a family member regarding what was believed to be suspicious financial transactions involving the female. At the time, the female suspect held Power of Attorney for property over her elderly parents.
The investigation revealed the woman had used her position as Power of Attorney to misappropriate upwards of $10,000 and to make a number of purchases deemed to be a breach of the fiduciary duties of someone acting in the capacity of POA.
The woman was charged with the following offences:
- Theft By Power of Attorney
- Fraud Over $5,000
- Breach of Trust
She was released from custody on a PTA with an OIC undertaking, and has a first appearance on Nov. 13, 2014.
Her name is not being released publicly by police to protect the identity of the victims involved.
Her parents have since been placed in a long-term care facility and the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee has assumed control of their financial wellbeing.
The Belleville Police Service would like to remind the public of various resources available to those seeking assistance or wanting to report Elder Abuse:
- Belleville Police Service – 613-966-0882
- Crime Stoppers – 613-969-8477 (Call an anonymously report suspicions, incidents to police)
- Elder Abuse Prevention Support Line – 1-855-542-1336 (Confidential peer to peer support for victims of Elder Abuse throughout Eastern Ontario)
- Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse - www.onpea.org
- Advocacy Centre for the Elderly – www.advocacycentreelderly.org
