An in-home caregiver accused of stealing thousands of dollars from an 89-year-old Petaluma man pleaded not guilty this morning in Sonoma County Superior Court.
Kirra Shareen Beck, 23, of Santa Rosa, is charged with one count of elder financial abuse. A preliminary hearing date will be set Aug. 23.
Petaluma police said Beck was caring for the elderly man, who suffers from dementia.
In June, the man's daughter told police that roughly $6,000 in unauthorized withdrawals had been made from her father's bank account, Petaluma police Lt. Tim Lyons said.
A number of $200 to $300 withdrawals had occurred beginning in April, Lyons said. Surveillance video from the elderly man's bank showed Beck making 24 ATM withdrawals from the victim's account, Lyons said.
The victim's daughter raised suspicions about Beck to her employer, the At-Home Nursing company of Santa Rosa, and Beck was subsequently fired, Lyons said.
Beck visited the Petaluma man at least once while she was off duty to learn about his medical appointments, and made phone inquiries about him to his daughter after she was fired, Lyons said. Beck was arrested July 25.
-Bay City News
