Former Caregiver Gets Probation for Theft

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published July 13, 2019 4:26 am
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gavel new aCLARION, Pa. (EYT) — A caregiver was sentenced on Wednesday to a year of probation after pleading guilty to stealing from an East Brady woman who she was serving as a caregiver.

Clarion County President Judge James Arner ordered 40-year-old Tara Dawn Rupert, of Rimersburg, to pay $130.00 in restitution within 30 days. She is also required to pay other court costs.

Rupert pleaded guilty on June 5 to Theft by Unlawful Taking — Moveable Property.

Details of the case:

On October 19, Officer Hawk, of the New Bethlehem Borough Police Department, was called to an East Brady retirement apartment building to assist a worker who got locked out. Upon arrival, the building manager assisted with letting the woman into the building, according to the complaint.

The manager asked to speak with Officers Hawk and Clark regarding a possible theft, and an incident report was given to them.

Officer Hawk then spoke with the victim who said that her home care worker, Rupert, had arrived at her apartment two hours late. While inside the apartment, the victim told Officer Hawk that Rupert had asked her if she could organize her sock drawer. The victim said it was unusual for her workers to do that, but she told Rupert it was fine.

The victim stated that Rupert also organized the closet. She indicated that these things were all out of the normal for her care worker to be doing. She is to take the garbage out, do dishes, laundry, and clean her apartment, all of which Rupert did not do. Rupert had worked around an hour that day. After Rupert left, the victim locked her apartment door and went downstairs for a luncheon.

Upon returning to her apartment, the victim noticed that two rolls of quarters that were sitting in a dish on her dining room table were missing. She checked the dresser in the bedroom and discovered there was a single roll of quarters were missing.

The victim also checked the closet where she keeps a fanny pack that contained important papers and $100.00 in bills. The fanny pack was also missing. She then contacted Rupert and demanded that she come back to her apartment to help her look for the lost money.

The victim indicated that Rupert returned and found a $5.00 bill on the top of the bed where the victim said she did not have money, a $20.00 bill in a basket in the bedroom, and quarters in a plastic baggie. The victim said that she never kept money in a plastic baggie.

A worker at the retirement building helped the victim look for the missing money. Her fanny pack was located in the closet behind a box in the back of the closet. All of her important cards were still in the fanny pack, but the cash was missing.

Around 4:54 p.m. on October 22, Rupert came into the station to discuss what took place in the victim’s apartment. Rupert was read her Miranda Rights, and she agreed to speak to Officers Hawk and Clark.

Rupert allegedly indicated to Officer Hawk that she has had substance abuse in the past but is on suboxone at this time, the complaint states.

Rupert stated that she could not remember anything that took place on October 18. When asked about the money, Rupert allegedly said she had taken three dollars out of a drawer in the bedroom, the complaint indicates.

Throughout the interview, Officer Hawk explained to Rupert that there was video footage of the resident’s apartment, but he had not watched it yet.

When asked what he was going to see on the video footage, Rupert stated that she could not remember anything.

She then stated that she had taken $23.00, but she could not remember where she had taken it from.

She gave a written statement to what she could remember and explained that she was so sorry for hurting the resident, according to the complaint.

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