Troy woman arrested Jan. 9

A 42-year-old Troy woman was arrested on Jan. 9 on felony charges of theft and elder abuse in Hill County. The woman, Lisa L. Cole, is accused of taking in excess of $30,000, along with several power tools from Andrew Horwath.

The main charge stems from an incident of Oct. 1, 2014. Charging documents state Cole withdrew $18,000 from Horwath’s bank account without authorization. The report from the Hill County sheriff’s investigator indicates Cole went into the bank branch and told the teller Horwath had been in a car accident and was suffering from dementia. Cole then had a law firm fax a power of attorney to the bank and the withdrawal was authorized.

Horwath noticed the withdrawal and, on Oct. 3, reported the incident to the Hill County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigating deputy contacted the bank and confirmed the transaction, which prompted further investigation into Horwath’s bank accounts. That investigation, in cooperation with Adult Protective Services, revealed other suspicious withdrawals from the account, including one of $10,000.

Horwath, during the process of moving, also discovered a band saw, a bench grinder and a drill press missing from his garage, which he told the deputy he suspected Cole of taking.

In addition to the bank withdrawals and the tools, Horwath also reported another roughly $10,500 in cash missing from his home and vehicle. He told the sheriff’s investigator about a locked safe he kept in his vehicle, which had contained approximately $2,500. He claimed Cole was one of the few people who knew of the presence of the safe and the cash. He told the deputy he experienced difficulty opening the safe and suspected something had been broken off in the lock in an attempt to open it. When he finally managed to open the safe he discovered the cash was gone.

He also reported an additional $8,000 in cash missing from his home, which he also suspected Cole of taking.

Cole was released from the Lincoln County jail on $5,000 bond on Jan. 14. Lincoln County court records show no previous criminal history for Cole.