SHALIMAR — A Laurel Hill woman is charged with stealing thousands of dollars over the past 10 years from a woman who is now 94 years old.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office charged 68-year old Wilma Sue Coleman-Redmond with the exploitation of an elderly person and grand theft of more than $50,000 from a person over the age of 65.
The investigation was initiated in May 2016 after a report was received that Coleman-Redmond had been taken control of the woman’s bank accounts after forging a power of attorney in April 2006.
Over the course of the next 10 years, she withdrew tens of thousands of dollars in funds.
The victim says she has repeatedly asked Coleman-Redmond to return her funds, but Coleman refused. She says Coleman-Redmond also took property out of her home and sold it without her permission. Investigators learned the victim became aware of the missing money when she was scheduled to have dental surgery and learned her bank account was empty, leaving her no money for utility bills, health care services, or even food.
The victim’s primary physician says the woman is “alert, oriented, and able to make decisions.”
The OCSO says Coleman-Redmond unlawfully obtained and used more than $114,025 with intent to permanently deprive the victim of the use, benefit and possession of her funds and assets.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill resident charged with theft from elderly woman