Woman admits taking money from nursing home resident
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CHARLESTON, Illinois (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier) — A woman could avoid a record of a conviction if she follows the terms of the sentence she received for stealing money from an elderly woman.
Laurie A. Morehead, 59, whose address on record is in Decatur, admitted taking several thousand dollars from the Mattoon woman over a seven-month period in 2019.
The woman lived in a nursing home and Morehead was power-of-attorney for her affairs, according to records in the case. They say Morehead admitted taking some of the woman’s money but claimed it was a gift.
With the agreement reached, Morehead was sentenced to two years of second chance probation, a type of supervision that can result in no conviction record if completed successfully.
The charge to which she pleaded guilty, financial exploitation of an elderly person, was a felony offense. It accused Morehead of being in a “position of trust and confidence” with the woman when she took the money.
Coles County Circuit Judge Mitchell Shick sentenced Morehead by accepting the terms of a plea agreement that Assistant State’s Attorney Jenifer Schiavone and defense attorney Duane Deters recommended.
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