Panama City man charged with exploiting elderly woman’s assets

by: Adele Henley

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – A Panama City man was arrested for allegedly exploiting an elderly person out of more than $50,000 worth of property.

On May 26, a report was filed with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office by the daughter of an elderly woman. The woman has dementia, and her daughter has been deemed her legal guardian and has full responsibility over her mother’s finances.

The report stated that the daughter was speaking with a realtor to sell some properties belonging to her mother when she discovered that one of her properties had been sold to a company called WAAC LLC on May 5. The properties had been sold for only $1, the affidavit reports.

The listed owner was 55-year-old Wayne Clarke. When the daughter asked her mother, she said that a male had come to her house and asked if he could use her lot to set up food trucks. 

Her mother agreed to allow the use of the property temporarily, but did not recall going to the clerk’s office to sell the property.

When the daughter went to the clerk’s office, the notary who had notarized the quit-claim deed said that they remembered her mother coming to the courthouse with two males and signing the paperwork, the affidavit says.

The daughter hired a lawyer and sent legal demand letters to two addresses allegedly belonging to Clarke, but had not received a response by May 26, when she went to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

On Wednesday, investigators interviewed the notary, who claimed that the only time they spoke with the woman was when she asked for her driver’s license before she signed the quit-claim deed.

The notary reported that one of the men had filled out all the paperwork, and the woman only signed the form. When the notary asked if there was a purchase amount, the woman said no, but the men allegedly stated $1.

Investigators proceeded to interview Clarke, who said he was introduced to the woman through her son.

Clarke said that the woman had asked him to come see her about the property because he wanted to clean it up for her, and she offered to turn the property over to him to help him out.

Clarke said that the woman had filled out all the paperwork and had come up with the purchase amount of $1 on her own, and that he did not take advantage of her.

The affidavit says that Clarke was charged with exploitation of a disabled adult over the amount of $50,000 and grand theft in the amount of $20,000 to $100,000. His first arraignment has been set for July 16. 

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Panama City man charged with exploiting elderly woman’s assets