Strattanville Woman Charged with Theft from Assisted Living Facility Resident

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published June 12, 2018 4:30 am
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JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Strattanville woman is facing theft and related charges after allegedly taking money from an assisted living facility resident in Brookville.

Court documents indicate the Brookville Borough Police Department filed criminal charges against 37-year-old Melissa Sue Foster, of Strattanville.

According to a criminal complaint, around 4:19 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, Officer Stormer was dispatched to an assisted living facility for a report of a theft.

Upon his arrival, Officer Stormer met with two employees who escorted him to a room where he met a known woman who stated she discovered her keys were missing on or around May 2. The keys were for her room and a locked drawer inside of the room.

The victim stated that an employee of the facility, Melissa Foster, had come into her room and asked her what was wrong. The victim stated she did not know how Foster could see that something was wrong because her door was not opened. The victim said she informed Foster that her keys were missing, and Foster then reported to the other two employees that the victim thought someone was in her room and that her keys were missing, according to the complaint.

When one of the other two employees first went to speak to the victim, the victim said she never told Foster that anyone was in her room, only that she was upset that her keys were missing.

The victim stated that she is a late sleeper and that “everyone knows that.” She said she wakes up around 9:30 a.m. each day, and on the day after the keys were missing, Foster was inside her room at approximately 8:00 a.m. and told the victim she was taking out the trash. This took place while the victim was still in bed and the noise caused her to awaken, the complaint states.

The victim said she checked after she had fully awakened and discovered that the trash was not taken out. The other two employees also informed Officer Stormer that the victim is independent and takes care of herself, so Foster would not likely need to be there taking out the trash since that is not part of her job, according to the complaint.

The victim then discovered that four or five $20 bills were missing from her locked drawer.

Officer Stormer noted in the complaint that he believed the victim was of sound mind and that she was aware of her belongings coming up missing rather than misplacing them.

On May 18, around 9:51 a.m., Chief Markle interviewed Foster regarding the investigation.

According to the complaint, during the interview, Foster allegedly admitted that she took $60.00 from the victim and provided a written statement which acknowledged she took the money.

Based on the investigation, the following charges were filed against Foster on Thursday, May 24, in Magisterial District Judge Gregory M. Bazylak’s office:

– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 2
– Receiving Stolen Property, Misdemeanor 2

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, with Judge Bazylak presiding.

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