Angie Thompson/Senior Reporter
CNHI
TIFTON —
A home healthcare worker has been charged with forging checks belonging to an elderly Ashburn woman under her care.
According to Lt. Porter Jackson of the Tifton Police Department, he was initially called by a Turner County Sheriff’s Office agent about the case. Jackson said members of the elderly woman’s family looked through some of the woman’s checks and notices that some of those written were out of numerical sequence.
“They looked into her bank account and discovered that several checks had been written for a good amount of money,” Jackson said. “They figured that the only person who came to the woman’s house was a caretaker.”
Jackson said he contacted a bank here and discovered that the checks were made payable to Andrea Denise Morrow, 31, of 623 Harrison Ave., Ashburn.
“The information on the back of the checks actually had Morrow’s information,” Jackson said.
Tift County warrants were issued and Morrow was arrested Monday afternoon and charged with five counts of first- degree forgery. The checks totaled approximately $1,500.
Morrow worked for Rescare out of Valdosta.
Jackson said most visiting health care companies “have no idea they have hired someone who might do this” and normally check a person’s criminal record before hiring them.
“This young woman had no criminal record and I think she made a bad mistake,” Jackson said. “Most of the places that send out caretakers, for the most part, they are good people and do what they are supposed to do. On occasion, we will have someone take advantage of another thinking they won’t get caught.”
To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.
