A Lawrenceville woman is in the Gwinnett County Jail on a felony charge of exploitation of a disabled adult for allegedly stealing money from her sick mother.
Michelle Barry, 41, spent about $10,000 of Audrey West's money over a six-month period last year while West, her 68-year-old mother, was hospitalized, according to police.
West left Barry with her debit card and instructions to handle her bills while she was away, according to police reports.
When West returned home from the hospital she found she'd been evicted from her Buford Drive residence and all her utilities had been cut off, police said. West's deposits from Social Security, disability and alimony checks had disappeared.
West told police her daughter had a history of drug abuse and suspected the money was blown on that.
"It's unfortunate that this elderly lady is hospitalized and someone that supposedly cares for her takes advantage of her like this," Lawrenceville Police Capt. Greg Vaughn said. "It's something senior citizens probably need to take note of as far as paying attention to their finances."
Barry remains in Gwinnett County Jail without bond.
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