CLEARFIELD – A Centre County woman faces over 50 charges for allegedly stealing almost $23,000 from an elderly family member.
Stephanie M. Lord-Wetherington, 34, of Lemont is charged by Clearfield Regional police with 17 felony counts each of forgery and identity theft, as well as felony counts of financial exploitation of older adult or care-dependent person, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property and 17 misdemeanor counts of tampering with records.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police on March 7 received information about the case from a representative of the Mature Resources Area Agency on Aging.
The representative indicated that the victim resided in a local nursing home and had discovered Lord-Wetherington was writing herself checks from the victim’s bank account without permission.
It was noted that Lord-Wetherington had been designated as power of attorney for the victim.
In total, she stole $22,988.56 between August of 2022 and August of 2023, police said.
Lord-Wetherington had also allegedly failed to pay the facility since April of 2023, causing the accumulation of $125,476.22 worth of debt.
In an interview, Lord-Wetherington denied the thefts, claiming the victim had given her permission to write the checks. However, she was unable to produce any evidence of her claims.
Lord-Wetherington waived her right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday, sending her case to county court. Bail is set at $25,000, unsecured.