Man Accused of Stealing From Dying Grandfather

Stephanie Nichols knew something wasn't right. Her stepfather had died Feb. 17, but more than $10,000 worth of charges had been made on his debit card since then.

She went through the charges, and more than $100 spent on a tattoo from a local tattoo parlor jumped out at her -- not to mention the $1,439 paid for an AR-15 rifle from a Vancouver pawn shop.

Nichols alerted police. She also told officers that she suspected her stepfather's grandson, whom she had noticed was recently sporting a large U.S. Marine Corps Eagle globe and anchor tattoo on his shoulder.

"That's when she realized it was him," said Portland Detective Harry Trimpler, an elder abuse investigator in the bureau's Family Services Division.

The grandson, Bradley J. Brown, 23, was arrested this week and arraigned on 56 allegations, including first-degree aggravated theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and multiple counts of identity theft.

Investigators say Brown made up to 70 unauthorized charges totaling $10,374 on his grandfather's debit card, using his personal identification number, between Feb. 8 and March 1. Purchases were made on the debit card almost every day during that period, court records show.

Full Article and Source:
Portland Man Accused of Stealing More Than $10,000 From Dying Grandfather