BELLINGHAM, Wash. – An elder abuse investigation has led to the arrest of a Whatcom County man.
An Adult Protective Services agent contacted deputies in September after finding evidence that an 87-year-old woman’s caretaker had stolen thousands of dollars from her.
Bank records corroborated the agent’s claims, with over $900,000 being transferred into the suspect’s account since March of this year.
The bank had previously contacted APS in 2019 with similar concerns over money transfers to the suspect’s account.
The agent also believed that the caretaker was abandoning and neglecting the woman, who has dementia, for extended periods of time.
Investigators say the woman and her caretaker were homeless, and often spent the night at motels across the county.
Police records show that the woman was found wandering in the middle of the road on multiple occasions.
The caretaker was often absent when police returned her to her room.
Deputies arrested the caretaker, 37-year-old Justin James, on Wednesday, November 17th.
In addition to the theft and abandonment charges, James is also accused of violating a protection order in a separate case.