Caregiver For Elderly Couple Sentenced For Theft
Sonora, California – A Sonora woman was sentenced for stealing more than $21,000 dollars from an elderly couple she worked for giving care in their home.
On Monday, Judge James Boscoe sentenced 54-year-old Julie Ann Tidball to eight years and four months in state prison. The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s office reports that in 2013 the victims, who are referred to as Mr. and Mrs. C, both 89 at the time, hired Tidball to be their caregiver. Soon after that, Tidball offered to quit her job as a caregiver at a local agency to work full time for the couple, according to the D.A.’s office, which included handling the Tidball finances and shopping.
The following year, Mr. C was put into a nursing home after a fall. That same year, Mrs. C’s daughter became suspicious of possible financial abuse by Tidball and reported it to Adult Protective Services. In January of 2015, Mrs. C found that thousands of dollars were missing from her account. An investigation revealed her debit card had been used to steal more than $7,000 and $14,400 was taken directly from her bank account.
Detectives discovered that much of the money was withdrawn at a local casino. In September, Tidball pled guilty to one count of first degree residential burglary with an enhancement for the victim being elderly, two counts of felony theft from an elder, and two counts of identity theft. Tidball was facing a maximum sentence of 16 years 10 months in state prison. The D.A.’s officer reports she will likely serve at least four of her eight-year sentence in prison before being eligible for parole.
