April 9, 2007

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  NEWS: Nurse's Aide Took Advantage of Client

  A twenty-three year old nurse's aide in Concord, New Hampshire, took advantage of a disabled client by stealing his identity, say authorities. Jeffrey Smith had been working for a fifty-seven year old paraplegic (partially paralyzed) man in the nearby town of Northfield for several weeks when he began stealing his credit cards. Smith ran up an over $1000 tab on his client's behalf before finally getting caught.
  
  Concord police say that Smith first hit several gas stations in the Lakes Region of the state, accumulating several hundreds of dollars in purchased gift cards. He also paid a utility bill using the filched plastic, and bought quite a bit of pizza on two separate occasions - $69 each time!
  
  Due to the client's circumstances, he didn't immediately notice the cards' absence, or the suspicious charges, say police. Apparently, at least one of the credit card companies called the victim back in January regarding the strange charges, but he was in the hospital, and did not have the opportunity to immediately contact police.
  
  Smith was charged with felony fraudulent use of a credit card, and is being held pending trial for the thefts, which took place in January. This is not Smith's first brush with the law – he was arrested in January of this year on related charges, including receiving stolen property and fraudulent use of a credit card.
  
  
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