A 24-year-old South Bend home health care worker who stole from an elderly woman was sentenced by Berrien County Judge Angela Pasula to four years of probation and 150 days in the Berrien County Jail.
Brittany Lewallen was charged with criminal enterprises, seven counts of forgery and embezzlement of more than $1,000 and less than $20,000.
In May 2015, Lewallen was working for a home health care service KARE Services in Niles, when she began taking advantage of a hospitalized client, a police report stated.
In November 2015, a reserve officer contacted the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department to assist in a vulnerable adult abuse case. Lewallen confessed to police that she had been forging checks, a police report stated.
Lewallen was one of three health care workers who, at separate times, stole from the same victim.
Last February, ResCare worker Shawntell Barnett was given 120 days in the Berrien County Jail for stealing from the same victim.
Pasula said that Lewallen has no right to steal from anybody.
“You were praying on someone who was very vulnerable and dependent on you for care,” Pasula said.
Lewallen wrote and cashed a total of nine checks, according to the police report. Lewallen wrote five checks for herself, which totaled $2,300. She also wrote four checks to her brother for an amount of $2,558.75. Her brother told police that the checks would be written for doing various maintenance work around the victim’s property, which had not actually occurred.
Defense Attorney Shannon Sible said that Lewallen worked for KARE Services through October 2015.
Lewallen currently has two cases in Indiana that are pending also.
Lewallen has credit for 99 days served in jail so far. In that time, Lewallen told the judge she had a lot of time to think about her life.
“I would just like to inform you that I have taken the time while incarcerated to try and rehabilitate myself,” Lewallen said. “I am very sorry for the crime that I committed and I take full responsibility. I just actually want an opportunity to get my life together.”
Lewallen has been on probation twice before , and has served one jail sentence, which indicated a pattern of behavior, Pasula said.
The judge also ordered that Lewallen not be allowed to work in home health care or in a position where she is in charge of people’s money.
The amount of restitution owed has not been determined.