A Grovetown woman working in the home health care field who stole from three vulnerable adults, including her own mother, was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday, May 25.
Jeannie Crowe, 30, pleaded guilty in Columbia County Superior Court to all charges filed against her – seven counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult, one count of theft and four counts of financial credit card fraud. The plea agreement set a maximum prison term at three years.
Crowe admitted Wednesday she stole checks from a client and forged three for $200 and a fourth one for $100 in cash, and that she took a handgun from the victim, said Assistant District Attorney Andy Pascual.
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From a neighbor whom she befriended, Crowe took a Capital One card and made several purchases without the victim’s permission. And Crowe took the vehicle registered in her mother’s name and pawned it to a title loan business.
Crowe, a high school graduate who earned a certificate to become a medical assistant, had no prior criminal history.
Crowe was prescribed pain medication for quite some time, but when the prescription ran out, she was left with an addiction, and she became desperate, she said Wednesday.
“I’m very sorry,” she said.
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Crowe’s mother spoke on her behalf Wednesday. Her vehicle, a 2006 Honda, was taken by the title pawn business, she said.
“I know she wouldn’t have done this if not on drugs,” she added.
Judge J. Wade Padgett accepted the plea negotiation and granted Crowe’s request to be sentenced under the First Offender Act. She isn’t the first person, nor will she be the last to become addicted after receiving pain medication, but the fact was she betrayed vulnerable adults, including her mother, Padgett said.
The judge imposed a two-year prison term to be followed by seven years on probation. While on probation, she is not to have any job where she has unsupervised access to any vulnerable person, Padgett ordered.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
