Home health care worker charged for allegedly using patient’s debit card
A home health care provider was arrested Tuesday for allegedly using a patient’s debit card to make over $1,700 in unauthorized charges earlier this year.
Desiree Lee Burton, 35, who lists a Freida Street address, was taken into custody shortly before 1 p.m. at the Hot Springs Police Department and charged with a felony count of fraudulent use of a credit or debit card, punishable by up to six years in prison.
Burton was later released on a $2,500 bond and is set to appear Dec. 31 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a local woman filed a report with police alleging that between Sept. 3 and Oct. 21 there had been $1,732.19 worth of unauthorized charges and withdraws from her checking account.
Detective Shawn Stillian retrieved security video from Diamond Bank, 2360 Malvern Ave., which showed a white female in a white Nissan Altima withdrawing funds from the ATM using the victim’s card on several occasions. He also obtained video from the Dollar General Store, 3119 Carpenter Dam Road, showing the same woman purchasing merchandise on several different occasions.
The woman was later identified as Burton and it was confirmed she has a white 2010 Nissan Altima registered to her.
The victim told police Burton was the in-home health care provider for her husband. She stated she works out of state for long periods of time and had started noticing unauthorized charges and withdrawals from the couple’s checking account.
The victim said she confronted Burton about the missing money and charges and Burton admitted to using the card and apologized to her. The victim reportedly recorded the conversation between her and Burton.
A warrant was issued for Burton’s arrest on Nov. 19.