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Sarah Dallof reporting Eyewitness News has uncovered disturbing allegations against an employee at a Salt Lake nursing home. She's accused of taking thousands of dollars from the residents she was supposed to care for and then spending it on herself.
The Attorney General's Office is just starting to investigate, but family members of one resident say $2,500 of his money has been spent since October on things he never could have purchased.
"He's totally paralyzed on the left side of his body. He needs help in and out of bed, cleaning, bathing," Kristy Lee said. That's how she describes her dad, who's lived in Midtown Manor since he suffered a stroke in October.
"I don't think he'll ever come out of a care center," Lee said.
Lee's brother visits her dad the most, so she was surprised when she received an anonymous phone call. "They said someone is misusing your dad's funds for themselves," she said.
Lee began looking through his bank statements and found thousands of dollars spent for reasons she didn't understand. There were ATM withdrawals late at night and checks written to department stores she never knew her dad to frequent.
Lee confronted the woman the caller had identified, who was a resident advocate at Midtown Manor. "She had a story for everything, but they didn't add up. That my dad had gone clothes shopping. There's no way he could go," Lee said.
The woman also tried to explain the cash withdrawals from the ATM. "Mostly Mountain Dew was her whole reason for that, but I can't see how that much money would go to Mountain Dew," Lee said.
The manager and owner of Midtown Manor said on Friday the resident advocate in question was working at the care center. Today, he says she's no longer employed there but declined to say why.
The case is now being investigated by the Attorney General's Office. Lee hopes they'll be able to charge the woman and return what was taken. "I can't even imagine taking advantage of someone like that who can't take care of themselves," she said.
Eyewitness News will continue to follow the story and give you an update if there are charges.
