Home Caretaker Charged with Stealing Elderly Woman’s Pain Meds
Isaacson was charged after police determined she had stolen approximately 44 of Scrutton’s pain pills in early April 2014 and replaced them with pain killers that had been prescribed for Isaacson’s dog.
A Lorain County woman has been charged with stealing prescription medication from a 91-year-old Russell Township woman in her care.
Barbara M. Isaacson, 39, of 753 Willard Court, Apartment A, Wellington, was charged after Russell Township police discovered evidence of the suspected theft of the opioid pain killer Tramadol from the Hill Drive home of Gratia Scrutton in 2014.
The discovery occurred while police and investigators from the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office were investigating another caregiver suspected of stealing from Scrutton.
Isaacson was charged after police determined she had stolen approximately 44 of Scrutton’s pain pills in early April 2014 and replaced them with pain killers that had been prescribed for Isaacson’s dog.
A Geauga County grand jury handed down a three-count indictment against Isaacson on Nov. 6, charging her with theft of drugs and assault, both fourth-degree felonies, and unlicensed practice of nursing, a fifth-degree felony.
“Investigators from my office have worked closely with the Russell Township Police Department to investigate this elder abuse case,” Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz said Friday. “It was through this ongoing investigation that we were able to obtain the evidence needed to bring charges against Ms. Isaacson.”
Added Flaiz, “One of the areas my office has been focused on is adult protective services and vigorously pursuing caregivers that commit crimes. This is one of those cases.”
Isaacson was hired in August 2013 to care for Scrutton, whose health was declining and required 24-hour care. She was one of several caregivers Scrutton had employed to provide around-the-clock care.
Isaacson was a certified nurse in the state of Ohio. However, at the time Scrutton hired her, her license was suspended as a result of theft of drugs and forging prescription charges filed in Summit County in 2012. Those charges subsequently were dropped after Isaacson completed a drug treatment program.
Russell police were alerted to Isaacson’s alleged theft in May 2014, when another caregiver, Rebecca Andrews, told police she and a third caregiver had discovered in early April that 44 pain killers were missing from the bottle Isaacson had refilled for Scrutton days earlier.
Andrews told police the third caregiver had sent Isaacson a text message inquiring about the missing pills and was told Isaacson had taken them for her dog because she had spilled her dog’s medication down the garbage disposal. Isaacson promised to replace the medication.
In addition, Andrews said Isaacson told them she had given Scrutton eight pain pills belonging to Isaacson’s dog before she was able to refill Scrutton’s prescription.
Isaacson subsequently was fired on April 16, 2014, and allegedly signed a note admitting to the theft in exchange for the matter not being reported to police.
But on May 18, 2014, Andrews reported the matter to Russell police. The case was closed, however, after police did not receive a written statement or complaint from Scrutton, and were unable to contact Isaacson.
The case was reopened almost a year later when Russell police were investigating the third caregiver, who later was suspected of stealing from Scrutton.
In June 2015, police executed a search warrant at the woman’s Willowick home, seizing a cell phone, which was sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for analysis.
Numerous text messages were retrieved from the phone, including several text messages between Isaacson and the woman discussing the missing Tramadol pain killers.
Isaacson is scheduled to be arraigned before Geauga County Common Pleas Court Judge Forrest Burt on Dec. 11.
