Former caregiver accused of exploiting vulnerable man for DoorDash, rent payments

by Megan Brugger

VERNAL, Utah (KUTV) — A former caregiver to a man needing 24/7 assistance was arrested after she allegedly used his credit card for thousands of dollars worth of unauthorized purchases.

Kimberlee Marie Kelly, 25, was arrested on suspicion of intentional financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a third-degree felony; unlawful acquisition/possession/transfer of a financial card, a third-degree felony; and unlawful use of a financial card, a third-degree felony.

A detective with the Vernal Police Department began investigating the case on Oct. 30, 2024. The initial report indicated that nearly $4,000 had been spent in unauthorized DoorDash transactions.

The victim, who has limited capacity to manage his finances, "is only allowed one supervised DoorDash order per week," the affidavit states. "[The victim] does not have a DoorDash account and relies on staff members to facilitate these transactions."

Additionally, two rent payments for Kelly and her sister had been made using the victim's card. The charges were later disputed and refunded.

The detective interviewed the sister, who said the rent was paid by what she believed was Kelly's credit card.

"[The sister] remained adamant she never had access to [the victim's] card or used DoorDash," the affidavit states.

Kelly reportedly initially avoided police contact and denied helping her sister pay rent, despite statements and records indicating otherwise.

According to the affidavit, Kelly then claimed the victim authorized her to use his card via a handwritten note he signed. The detective, however, said the note was dated before her employment.

Kelly later denied seeing or using the card herself, and denied remembering the note.

"Kimberlee also claimed other staff had used [the victim's] card for DoorDash, and she stopped doing so once told not to," the affidavit states.

The property manager from where the rent was paid confirmed that both transactions originated from the victim's account and were processed through the sisters' rental portals.

Kelly was placed into custody on Tuesday and booked into the Uintah County Jail. 

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Former caregiver accused of exploiting vulnerable man for DoorDash, rent payments