Missouri Nursing Home Worker Suspect in Theft
Blanche Fenton moved to the Cambridge Retirement Residence, a nursing home facility in Springfield, Missouri, in September 2008. Unfortunately, the eighty-eight year old woman trusted the wrong person. The wrong person? An employee of Cambridge Retirement Residence who helped her move.
Police became involved in mid-November, when Ms. Fenton's brother contacted them and reported items missing from his sister's home. Missing items included cassette tapes, a slow cooker, a tweed coat, trinkets and jewelry - valued at more than $20,000. Neighbors reported seeing a woman in a maroon car "possibly five to ten times" since September.
Two days later, neighbors called police, reporting that the woman was at the house again. Police stopped her while she was backing out of the driveway. The woman alleged that she was "a friend of Fenton, had a key to the residence, and had the right to be there". She said she was taking Ms. Fenton's winter clothes to her, but there were no clothes in the car. Police contacted Ms. Fenton, who confirmed that the woman did not have permission to take her property.
Pawn shop records indicated that three of Ms. Fenton's rings had already been pawned and the rest of Ms. Fenton's jewelry remains missing. Some of Ms. Fenton's other possessions were located at the suspect's home. The suspect in this crime could face second-degree burglary charges.
This situation could have been avoided. While facility administrators say they hired the woman in compliance with corporate standards, it seems that the employee had an outstanding warrant in Jasper County. She was booked in Jasper County and has bonded out.
The woman was fired on October 6, 2008 after the facility learned that she failed to disclose a 2002 stealing conviction in Greene County. Cambridge manager, Lisa Burdick, says that the woman was suspected of stealing money from facility residents, but it was never proven. In fact, Ms. Fenton's wallet was missing once she moved into the facility. Once the woman was fired, the thefts stopped.
