Former Court-Appointed Guardian Pleads Guilty

A former court-appointed guardian and conservator pleaded guilty Monday afternoon to two theft counts and two counts of abuse of vulnerable adults in connection with the theft of more than $240,000 from three wards.

Dinah Turrentine-Sims, 59, faces up to 50 years in prison when she is sentenced in December.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said his office was prepared to file more charges against Turrentine-Sims if she didn’t enter the pleas. Turrentine-Sims was suspected of stealing more than $400,000 from at least eight wards over a two-year period.

With her attorney, Martin Cannon, by her side, she entered the pleas to the four original charges she faced in the case – charges that stemmed from her oversight of three wards.

A World-Herald series exposed several shortcomings in the system that allowed Turrentine-Sims to bleed the estates of the people she was assigned to protect.

Those shortcomings, among others, prompted Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Heavican, to assign a committee to look at ways to shore up the state’s guardian and conservator system.

Under the system, judges appoint volunteers to oversee the physical and financial welfare of incapacitated people.

Full Article and Source:
Guardian Pleads Guilty to Theft

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