Woman Accused of Bilking Elderly Dementia Patient

A Santa Barbara woman was jailed on a variety of felony charges Thursday after she allegedly abused and stole large sums of money from an 80-year-old city resident with dementia, according to the  Santa Barbara Police Department. 

Rosemary Rebekah Baugh, 57, was arrested at her State Street home, culminating an 11-month investigation, said Sgt. Riley Harwood.

She was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail  on charges of grand theft, financial elder abuse, and elder neglect, with bail set at $650,000, Harwood said.

The investigation began after relatives of the victim, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, came to Santa Barbara in December 2012.

"They found him malnourished, filthy, and living in squalor," Harwood said.

Baugh is a longtime acquaintance of the victim, whose name was not released, and he had at times given her gifts of cash to help with her rent and expenses, Harwood said.

After the death of the victim's only local relative, Baugh assumed the role of caregiver for him.

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Woman Accused of Bilking Elderly Dementia Patient