1st Time Offender Could Dodge Convictions; Charged w/ Forgery, Unlawful Use Of POA To Pocket Reverse Mortgage Proceeds On 90-Year Old Mom's Home

In Greenville, South Carolina, the Anderson Independent Mail reports:

• Former Clemson City Council member Elouise James, facing multiple felony charges, will be entering a pretrial intervention program. [...] Pretrial intervention provides first time offenders with the opportunity to avoid prosecution and a criminal history. [...] For applicants who complete the program, charges are dropped and they can seek to have their arrest records pertaining to those charges expunged.

• James was charged in September with two counts of forgery and one count of obstruction of justice in Greenville County and two counts of obtaining goods by false pretenses and one count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Pickens County.

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• On the [] charge of taking financial advantage of a vulnerable adult, investigators say James unlawfully used a power of attorney to obtain a reverse mortgage on her 90-year-old mother’s home. The [South Carolina Law Enforcement Division] report says James used $15,451.60 obtained from the mortgage to pay an outstanding balance of restitution fees related to her daughter’s probation. The payment reportedly occurred a few days before Kristyn James’ scheduled probation revocation hearing.

For the story, see Former Clemson council member enters pretrial program.