BRANCH COUNTY — A Sherwood Township couple is facing charges after allegedly using their elderly neighbors' debit card illegally, including to buy Taylor Swift concert tickets.
Adult Protective Services began the investigation into the alleged theft from the elderly couple a year ago.
Kory Olmstead, 47, and his wife Jennifer, 43, pleaded not guilty to four counts each of illegal possession and use of a financial transaction device, all four-year felonies.
The Probate Court appointed a conservator for the elderly wife in January 2023, who found discrepancies in a review of the checking account.
The Olmsteads said they helped the neighbors who had health issues.
The Olmsteads told Branch County deputies they had used the couple's debit card to buy groceries for the neighbors but denied buying anything else.
Deputies found suspect charges on the account. According to police reports, four debit card charges were tied to the Olmsteads.
Two charges at Gander RV were allegedly tied to Kory Olmstead's Gander rewards account in September 2022.
Kory and Jennifer Olmstead allegedly upgraded their T-Mobile accounts using the debit card to pay $1,129 in October 2022, records showed.
There was a $1,115 charge in November 2022 for Taylor Swift concert tickets, according to investigators.
Jennifer Olmstead posted that she purchased Taylor Swift tickets for her children on her Facebook account, the police report stated.
Deputies arrested the couple on March 5, and they posted $5,000 surety bonds. They were arraigned March 18.
The couple is scheduled for a probable cause conference on Thursday, March 28, and a preliminary examination on April 2.
Prior storyAgency receives grant to fight elder abuse
Court records show this is the first felony case filed after the creation of an elder abuse task force in 2023.
Laura Sutter, director of the Area Agency on Aging, received a grant in 2018 to target elder abuse.
Beginning Feb.1, 2023, all alleged elder abuser complaints are reviewed jointly by the members: the Branch County Sheriff's Department, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services—Adult Protective Services, Legal Services of South-Central Michigan, the Branch County Prosecutor's Office, Pines Behavioral Health, and the AAA, a division of the Branch Hillsdale St. Joseph Community Health Agency.
SubscribeSupport local news. Subscribe to the Daily Reporter.
Sutter said, "This is extremely valuable in finding support for people who have been victims of elder abuse."
Sutter said that cases do not only come from the courts, "But the public can come forward with information to protect vulnerable individuals."
-- Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
Most Popular
Comments / 0