Former Guardian Jailed After Missing Report Deadline

The former guardian of a Jefferson County widow is being held without bail until she accounts for hundreds of thousands of dollars advocates say is missing.

Laura Cooper, the former guardian of a Jefferson County widow, is in the Leon County Jail on contempt charges until she files a report for the judge.

Credit Leon County Jail

According to court documents, 43-year-old Laura Cooper of Clinton, Arkansas appeared in a Tallahassee courtroom on Tuesday to plead for more time to produce a guardianship report. 

 

But Leon Circuit Judge Robert Long ordered Cooper held without bond until she produces a report the court first demanded May 24th.

Advocates for Delores Caracci contend more than $400,000 in cash, real estate, and vehicles is missing from her estate.

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Former Guardian Jailed After Missing Report Deadline

Woman Jailed Over Probate Court Case Wins Appeal

A woman who spent several days in jail in 2013 stemming from a guardianship case in Stark County Probate Court has won her appeal.

The 5th District Court of Appeals last month reversed a ruling by Probate Judge Dixie Park, concluding that Park had abused her discretion by finding the woman in contempt of court.

Barbara Lockhart, formerly of Alliance, was jailed for around 10 days on the orders of Park after Lockhart missed some court hearings — and failed to provide requested documents — in the guardianship case of an 83-year-old man, according to probate court records. A guardian was seeking to revoke the power of attorney Lockhart held on behalf of the man, and Park had requested records regarding his finances, court records said.

Attorney Jeffrey Jakmides, who handled Lockhart’s appeal, said Lockhart was jailed without bond in October 2013. He noted that the woman — 56 years old during her jail stay — did not have a criminal record.

Lockhart has “recovered from (her jail stay) at this point, at least as much as she can recover from an experience like that, and is just wanting to move forward with her life,” Jakmides said.

Some of the probate court hearings took place in August 2013. Lockhart showed up at a Sept. 17 hearing, and then missed a Sept. 24 hearing, resulting in the contempt charge and Lockhart’s arrest and jailing on Oct. 1. Court records indicate Lockhart thought the last hearing had been continued.
Park set another hearing for Oct. 2, but Lockhart couldn’t provide the requested documents to purge her contempt charge because she was transported directly from the Stark County Jail to the hearing, according to the appeals ruling.

Lockhart was eventually released on Oct. 11 after a motion was filed to suspend the rest of her 30-day jail sentence. She later supplied the court with the financial documents.

During the case, the power of attorney was revoked for Lockhart. Park found that Lockhart put about $12,000 in Social Security and pension funds belonging to the elderly man in an account under her own name.

In court records, Park wrote that Lockhart had admitted she opened the bank account in her name even though she knew the man’s bank accounts had been frozen by the court. The funds were either retained or used for the benefit of Lockhart or the man’s daughter, Park wrote in court records. The judge ordered Lockhart to return $12,239 to the estate.

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Woman Jailed Over Probate Court Case Wins Appeal

DuPage judge orders state health chief to appear in court

State director hasn't turned over records

A DuPage County judge has ordered the state's highest-ranking public health official to appear in court to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt for failing to turn over investigative records related to potential elder abuse.

Prosecutors asked Judge Kathryn Creswell on Tuesday to make the finding after representatives from the Illinois Department of Public Health failed to appear in court. Assistant State's Attorney Ken Tatarelis said the department has been essentially unresponsive to subpoenas issued as part of grand jury investigations into undisclosed allegations of abuse at three DuPage nursing homes.

“They responded, but their responses were, in a sense, nonresponsive to the information sought in the subpoenas,” he said.

Creswell ordered Illinois Department of Public Health Director LaMar Hasbrouck to appear in court July 26 and either provide the records or explain why his office has not complied with the subpoenas. If Hasbrouck is found to be in contempt of court, he could face a variety of penalties, from a fine to jail time.

Tatarelis said the records involve complaints about potential elder abuse at three unnamed nursing facilities. He said the state initially investigates any such reports, and prosecutors want records of those investigations.

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DuPage judge orders state health chief to appear in court