A Lewiston woman was charged with three felonies after police say she opened her mother’s mail and spent more than $1,100 from her mother’s debit card.
Jacqueline T. Couie, aka Jacqueline T. Harris, 52, made her initial appearance Wednesday in felony Magistrate Court in Nez Perce County, where she was arraigned on felony grand theft, exploitation of a vulnerable adult and forgery.
Judge Karin Seubert set a preliminary hearing in the case for Oct. 7.
Lewiston police say Couie opened the mail of Catherine Beaudin, her mother, and used a debit card sent to her mother to make $1,159.89 worth of purchases. Couie didn’t have power of attorney over Beaudin’s finances. Beaudin was moved to Royal Plaza after a series of falls while she was living at Couie’s home in Lewiston.
Beaudin had two deposits made in April to her debit card account of more than $2,000, but the account didn’t have enough money in it when she tried to make a payment, court records said.
There were 28 transactions on Beaudin’s debit card that Beaudin did not make. Couie admitted to police she opened her mother’s mail, used the card without her mother’s permission and signed the back of the debit card, court records said.
The maximum penalty in Idaho for felony grand theft is 14 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The maximum penalty in Idaho for felony exploitation of a vulnerable adult is 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
The maximum penalty in Idaho for felony forgery is 14 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
