Caretaker Dodges Charges After Pocketing 2nd Mortgage Cash On Alzheimer's Victim's Home, Then Failing To Make Payments; Cops Say No Crime Committed

In Anderson County, Tennessee, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports:

• Living alone in his Claxton area house, elderly Auburn Casey apparently became smitten with his caretaker, a detective said. The 86-year-old signed blank checks for the 39-year-old woman to fill in the amount and cash.

• He allowed the woman to take out a second mortgage on his house, valued at $177,900. The caretaker then didn't make mortgage payments, sending the home into foreclosure proceedings.

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• A family member and friend of Casey's became aware of the situation late last year and rushed to obtain power of attorney over his affairs. By that time, "everything was gone," Anderson County Sheriff's Department Investigator Danielle Alexander said. Casey was broke, his house had been sold at a foreclosure auction for $19,000, and he had moved into an assisted living facility.

• For weeks, Alexander investigated the incidents. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation looked at the case, records show. The Anderson County District Attorney's Office checked it out. Employees of the Department of Human Services' Adult Protective Services Division also became involved. But all law enforcement officials have concluded no crime was committed. The case is closed.(1)

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• Cora Logan-Lunny, director of the Anderson County Office on Aging, said last week she was aware of the situation, which she described as "the worst case we've ever seen." Logan-Lunny said Casey has Alzheimer's, and "he really didn't know what he was doing. That's the saddest part of it." "This is a shame," Alexander said of the case. "I'm seeing it happen more and more when these elderly people form relationships with young girls."

For the story, see Police say more taking advantage of the elderly.

(1) The story states that Casey repeatedly insisted he willingly gave the money to the caretaker, whom he described as "a great person" with a "good heart," according to a detective's report.