MADERA COUNTY — An Oakhurst woman charged with stealing tens-of-thousands of dollars from an elderly man has pleaded no contest to one felony charge of financial elder abuse.
Kathryn (Katie) Davis, 54, who serves as Director at the Sierra Senior Center in Oakhurst, was arrested on Aug. 10 for taking what could be as much as $50,000 from 90-year-old Bill Youngs, who was known to her through her work at the Senior Center.
Today, before Judge Mitchell Rigby in Madera Superior Court, Davis agreed to a plea deal that requires her to repay $30,000 by her next court appearance on Nov. 28, or spend one year in jail followed by three years probation.
If Davis repays the money, she will serve only three years probation with no jail time, and will have the felony reduced to a misdemeanor. If she does go to jail, she will still be required to make restitution.
Davis has claimed that the money was a gift, however the family of Mr. Young says he is suffering from signs of dementia, and would never have given away money he needed to live on — which they say amounted to $50,000 — and even if it was offered, should have been declined and the family notified.
According to District Attorney David Linn, no other victims were found during their investigation of this case, and he believes that the victim’s family is satisfied with the resolution.
“You don’t always have to put people in jail for an extended period of time to see that justice is done,” says Linn. “My goal was to get the money back. I believe the outcome was appropriate for this disputed case. Considering the victim’s age, I have no desire to put him through the stress of a trial if justice could be achieved by another manner.”
Davis will be back in court on Nov. 28 for sentencing.
