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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 25, 2004 Ex-caregiver gets jail time for theft By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Medford woman hired as a caregiver will spend a month in jail for stealing from her 95-year-old charge and leaving him in squalid conditions. Linda Lou Edwards, 59, of the 3600 block of Bellinger Lane, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court to charges of first-degree theft and criminal mistreatment. Indicted in August, Edwards stole at least $86,000 of the elderly man’s income since 1997, including proceeds from the sale of his house, investigators said. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss additional charges of theft and criminal mischief. She must also repay the man, whose name the Mail Tribune is not disclosing, and serve three years of probation. Police became aware of the man’s situation when an anonymous letter was sent to the local office of the state Senior and Disabled Services division in June 2002. When police arrived at the man’s apartment on South Oakdale Avenue, they found him living in near-squalor. The apartment was dirty, hot and didn’t have air conditioning or adequate food. While the man was not senile, he had difficulty walking and needed help with his personal hygiene and preparing meals, said Medford police Detective Sue Campbell. Campbell said he may have been enduring inhumane conditions for several months. Advertisement "He’d just been abandoned in this apartment," she said. Campbell immediately moved the man to a Medford assisted-living facility, where he still lives. He did not require medical attention, but was very hungry, she added. While looking over the apartment, detectives discovered credit card bills and credit applications made out in both Edwards’ and the elderly man’s name. Investigators discovered that Edwards, who met the man in 1997, had gained power of attorney for him and became executor of his estate. Shortly after meeting him, Edwards took out a loan against the man’s home equity and later sold the house, according to police reports. Edwards spent the money on herself, friends, family and a boyfriend, Campbell said. Investigators also found evidence that in 2001 Edwards gambled away about $55,000 on slot machines at Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville, according to police reports. Using the man’s money, Edwards also bought cars for herself and her daughter. She gave the man’s Datsun pickup truck to her son. On a monthly basis, she siphoned away the man’s Social Security and veterans benefits, which totaled about $2,700, according to police reports. Edwards herself was living on disability benefits. She told detectives that she had numerous physical ailments. She hadn’t been to see the man very often in the months leading up to the police investigation because she had been ill, she said. Edwards told investigators that the man was her boyfriend but she said they never had a romantic relationship. However, she told the man’s neighbors that she was his daughter. She also attempted to isolate him from local relatives and friends, Campbell said. "It wasn’t so much about the money, but the trust," Campbell said. Although elder abuse may go unreported out of shame and victims’ fears of never finding another caregiver, more cases are being investigated nationwide, according to authorities with senior and disabled services for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. Caseworkers assist seniors living independently in remedying poor living conditions and providing amenities and services. If a crime is committed, however, the agency turns the case over to police. Police say they rely on seniors’ families, friends and neighbors to report cases of abuse and neglect. "Somebody stepped up and did the right thing," Campbell said, adding that police never found out who wrote the anonymous letter. "If people don’t report, sometimes we don’t find these folks until it’s too late." Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times