Bond set for second defendant in abuse of a vulnerable adult case

OMAHA, Neb. — Douglas County deputies arrested the other half of an Omaha couple accused of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult who lived in their home earlier this year.

Patrick Thornton, 39, and Andrea Heim, 42, are accused of one count each of abuse of a vulnerable adult.

According to court documents, a Hands of the Heartland case worker reported suspicious activity on the debit card of an adult with disabilities who was "the subject of a full conservatorship/guardianship due to medical diagnosis."

Thornton and Heim, a couple who lived together, were "assigned caretakers" who received the adult into their home in March.

Although the couple received a monthly stipend of $755 to offset the adult's room and board costs, investigators reported finding bank records totaling over $2,500 in unauthorized purchases on the adult's personal debit card.

Those purchases included fast food meals, smoking products and clothing. Investigators found security footage showing individuals similar to the suspects making some of the purchases listed on the vulnerable adult's account.

The county issued warrants for both suspects at the beginning of July, and deputies arrested Thornton less than a week later.

Thornton filed a written arraignment and is currently in the pretrial process, with no trial date set.

Deputies arrested Heim Monday morning, and a Douglas County judge set Heim's bond at 10% of $5,000 on Monday afternoon.

Heim's next county court appearance is set for Oct. 24.

Additional court documents and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services website show Thornton was convicted of terroristic threats in a 2015 case, a felony.

But Hands of Heartland told KETV in a statement "an internal review of the situation confirmed that the contractors met mandated guidelines to contract as shared living providers, including those related to criminal background screening."

Full Hands of Heartland Statement

"Hands of Heartland discovered irregularities within our client’s financial account through routine auditing processes in May of 2025 and reported its concerns to the appropriate authorities in accordance with company and state regulations. The company terminated the relationship with the contracted providers immediately and fully cooperated with the ensuing investigations. An internal review of the situation confirmed that the contractors met mandated guidelines to contract as shared living providers, including those related to criminal background screening. The safety and well-being of the people we support are of the utmost importance to us. We will continue to do all we can to support the Hands of Heartland client that was impacted in this situation."

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Bond set for second defendant in abuse of a vulnerable adult case