Officers accused of planning to steal from woman with dementia

Neighbour last saw her in back of a cop car, then investigators found her in the Philippines

NORTH HIGHLANDS, CALIF.— Two California officers are being investigated on allegations of stealing money from a 75-yearold woman with dementia, listing her home for sale and putting her on a plane to the Philippines, where she had family.

Neighbours and friends on Friday described Rosalie Santallan Achiu as a frail military wife who loved to play cards and was fluent in several languages, but seemed lost and afraid since her husband died more than a year ago. Then she disappeared. “The last time I seen her she was in the back of a cop car,” neighbour Daniel Wootton said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department said this week that it began investigating the deputies in late January after someone raised concerns about the welfare and whereabouts of Achiu, who had not been seen in days.

Federal and sheriff ’s investigators found Achiu in the Philippines, where she was staying with relatives, the department said. They also found “many unusual activities by both deputies, both on and off duty.”

Stephanie Angel, a 14-year veteran of the agency, and an unidentified male deputy were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of “the criminal and administrative investigations,” the department said. Richard Chan, an attorney for Angel, said she was acting in Achiu’s best interest and did everything at Achiu’s request.