William Smith, The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa –
Two Burlington women are accused of abusing a local man they were supposed to be caring for and stealing $50,000 from him.
Cindy Marie Dameron, 54, 13583 65th Ave., and her daughter Jodi Ann Dameron, 35, 13547 Tama Road, were arrested by the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Department Thursday morning, each of them charged with one count of first-degree theft and one count of dependent adult abuse.
The arrest came about after a six-month investigation, which started when a Des Moines County judge discovered discrepancies in the documents they were supposed to be filing.
Cindy Dameron was an appointed executor for the victim from June 2006 until September 2010, when she was removed from that role by a court. Her daughter, Jodi, then held that role until she, too, was removed by the court.
The victim had been left money by his late mother, and his Social Security and SSI checks were enough to cover his expenses. The Dameron women allegedly took more than $50,000 from the man’s bank accounts from 2006 to 2011.
“Much of the money can’t be accounted for because it was spent at places like Hy-Vee and Walmart,” said Det. Corey Whitaker. “We did attempt to interview them (the Dameron women), but they lawyered up.”
The money allegedly was distributed in checks written to the women.
The victim reportedly told investigators the women only checked on him about once a month, and they rarely gave him more than $10 in cash. He said his cable and telephone were frequently turned off for nonpayment of bills, and he often ran out of food.
“He depended on the phone line for his emergency medical alert,” Whitaker said.
Neighbors told police they helped care for the man, who was told by the women to stay inside the house.
“He wasn’t given the proper food,” Whitaker said.
The victim now is under the care of Southeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging.
The Dameron women are being held at the Des Moines County Correctional Center on a $15,000 bond for each of them.
