CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield woman who has been accused of stealing more than $64,000 has signed a plea agreement.
Kathy Ann Martin, 57, 301 Ogden Ave., Clearfield, was originally charged with 763 counts each of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and 549 counts of other reason access device is unauthorized by user.
The plea, which was put on the record in Clearfield County Court, is for a minimum six-month sentence. She has agreed to plead guilty to 15 misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking. She is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
The charges stem from her actions from March 29, 2001 to Oct. 1, 2013.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Valerie Darrow, Protective Services Manager at the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, told police that Martin had been using the victim’s checking account as her own. There were charges for Pittsburgh Pirate tickets, campsite reservations and many other questionable transactions on her account.
The victim spoke with police explaining Martin would take $20 out of her account once in a while to buy something that she needed. Martin did not have permission to take out more than that. At other times, she would order food for the victim, but not very often.
The investigation uncovered numerous transactions to First Energy and Fuel & Save for Martin and her husband’s accounts. Martin had been using the victim’s account to pay her fuel bill as early as 2004.
Numerous transactions were found to a Timberland Credit Union account that totaled $16,195. It was also discovered that Martin had written checks for regular trips to a casino. The bus driver said Martin and her husband traveled to the casino almost every month.
It was determined that Martin had taken $64,668.19 from these transactions, none of which benefited the victim.
During this time, the victim lost her home to foreclosure. She said for some time she has needed glasses and shoes but Martin always told her she didn’t have enough money.