MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) - A northern Idaho woman responsible for a 67-year-old man who died while in her care has pleaded guilty to exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
Lindsey Winter, 22, made the plea Monday in 2nd District Court.
Lee O. Pohrman died Nov. 3, 2013, at the Gritman Medical Center after being taken earlier that day from the Moscow home he shared with Winter and 25-year-old Charles Wright. An autopsy listed malnutrition and starvation as the cause of death.
Winter initially faced charges of abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult, exploitation of a vulnerable adult and fraudulently obtaining welfare or public assistance before agreeing to the plea deal.
She’s scheduled to be sentenced June 29, and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Pohrman had been living at Good Samaritan Village, a senior living and care center, after suffering a stroke, partial paralysis, chronic high blood pressure and other ailments. He moved out of the assisted care facility into the care of Wright and Winter against caretakers’ recommendations.
At a previous court hearing, a caretaker said Pohrman weighed a healthy 162 pounds in April 2013. Authorities said he weighed 97 pounds when he died.
Authorities say Wright and Winter received about $40,450 in checks over more than two years to care for Pohrman, more than the $13,200 that would have been expected under the $400-per-month fee they were charging him.
Wright last month pleaded guilty to neglect of a vulnerable adult and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28. The plea deal he made outlines a minimum fixed sentence of three to five years in prison with a maximum of up to 10 years in prison. He also faces up to a $25,000 fine.
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