Caretaker accused of stealing more than $24,000 from elderly West Virginia woman

by MAMIE BUOY

West Virginia State Police say Janie Riddle stole over $24,000 from an elderly woman she was hired to take care of. (West Virginia Department of Corrections Photo)

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — A woman from Hernshaw, who worked as a caretaker, is accused of stealing over $24,000 from her elderly client.

Troopers said they got a call on April 14 from a woman who said she wanted to report her mother-in-law's caretaker, Janie Riddle, for using her bank card. Troopers said the woman told them Riddle had allegedly made $24,763.18 worth of purchases with her mother-in-law's card since Dec. 19, 2022.

According to a criminal complaint, the woman told troopers Riddle was hired to take care of her mother-in-law and take her to and from doctor's appointments.

Troopers said they met with the elderly victim who told them Riddle was the only person who had access to her bank card and could have made the 130 fraudulent purchases. The victim said she didn't authorize the purchases and that Riddle had her bank card during the time of the transactions. 

The victim said she was in the hospital for most of the transactions.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim also told troopers that Riddle once admitted to using the card without authorization and apologized.

Riddle is charged with financial exploitation of an elderly person or incapacitated adult, fraudulent use of credit cards and grand and petit larceny.

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Caretaker accused of stealing more than $24,000 from elderly West Virginia woman