A 43-year-old Brantford woman is facing multiple criminal charges for a string of thefts from local nursing homes, according to police in a news release.
Brantford Police say nursing home staff witnessed a suspicious female captured on video surveillance, entering 17 residents’ rooms on Sept. 30.
Rachelle Maria Latford, of Brantford, was arrested while attending another nursing home in the city, and is currently being held in custody according to police.
Police say staff confronted Latford, who provided a false name, and fled from the property.
A police investigation revealed she also attended a second nursing home within the city and was escorted out of the building by nursing staff.
Elderly residents of the nursing home eventually noticed small denominations of money had been taken from their bedside tables say police.
Latford faces charges of Obstructing a Police Officer, two counts of Break and Enter, and two counts of Theft under $5,000.
“It just makes me feel terrible. I just can’t imagine how anyone could do that to these vulnerable people,” said Linda Cheever, whose mother lives at a Brantford facility.
Police say there may be other potential victims, who don’t realize they’ve been victimized because they’re living with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Edith Kuilboer and her husband volunteer at a number of Brantford nursing homes, and she said that many of the elderly that they deal with are usually helpless.
“They’re quite ill. They probably don’t realize a great deal of other things that are going on,” said Kuilboer.
“I’m just glad that the police do have a suspect,” said Cheever.
