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Deputies: Caretaker stole from residents with disabilities

The Daily Star - 3/5/2019

March 05-- Mar. 5--Delaware County deputies arrested a Port Crane woman Thursday on charges she stole thousands in her job caring for the developmentally disabled in Franklin.

Christina Townsend, 31, was charged with the felonies of third-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud.

Authorities began investigating when Townsend, the house manager at a Broome Developmental Center residence in Franklin, was given money to purchase Christmas gifts for the residents that never arrived. Deputies determined that she used the money for her own purchases, according to Sheriff Craig DuMond.

A more-thorough audit by Broome Developmental Center found that Townsend had stolen funds for several years, including money allocated for massages for residents. In total, more than $12,000 was defrauded.

Townsend was arraigned at the Town of Franklin Court and was released to await further legal action.

Broome Developmental Center is an administrative center for the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. The residential wings of the center closed in 2016 in coordination with the state's focus on transitioning residents to community homes and independent living arrangements.

Developmental disabilities are usually used to classify people with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy and brain damage, which all have degrees of severity.

"This is very sickening and unfortunate ... we see victims in this line of work all the time and it saddens us," DuMond said. "It certainly makes our day to arrest this kind of individual and hold them accountable for their actions."

OPWDD said in a statement that protecting the people it supports from theft is a priority.

"Policies and procedures relating to the maintenance and protection of personal allowance funds require frequent audits, handling by authorized employees and clear documentation of receipts and disbursements. It was through an internal audit that OPWDD discovered the theft and immediately reported the incident to the NYS Inspector General's Office and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office for a full and thorough investigation. The employee has been suspended without pay pending disciplinary proceedings and all missing funds have been reimbursed."

Erin Jerome, staff writer, may be reached at (607) 441-7221, or at ejerome@thedailystar.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DS_ErinJ .

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