Aide robs 3 elderly patients during shopping trip, police say

Patience James

LADY LAKE – Police have charged an aide with exploiting three elderly patients in her care by robbing them while taking them shopping.

Patience James, 37, took three patients of Lake Specialty Care assisted living on a shopping trip on Dec. 15. She was given three envelopes with cash belonging to the patients: one with $1,500, another with $2,500 and a third with $2,000.

When they returned she handed back $649.97 to the woman who had $2,500 in her envelope. The man who left with $1,500 discovered that his envelope was $700 short. When contacted by the facility James said the money must have fallen out of his pocket.

She did not turn in any receipts. When asked about the third shopper’s money, she said the man’s son accompanied them and he had control of the envelope. When the son was contacted, however, he said he was at work in Jacksonville.

She eventually produced eight receipts and the missing cash but several of the items purchased were missing and were not the kind of things they would normally purchase. The cash she turned in was in the form of newer $100 bills.

She admitted the one man’s son had not accompanied them, and that she had a friend go along on the trip. She denied stealing any money, however.

She was charged with exploitation of the elderly and grand theft and jailed pending payment of $4,000 bond.

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Aide robs 3 elderly patients during shopping trip, police say