Caregiver arrested for stealing from elderly Baxter County woman

A Marion County woman, employed as a caregiver for an elderly woman in Baxter County, has been arrested for stealing from the woman. Fifty-five-year-old Laurelye Irene Lunday of rural Yellville is facing four felony charges in the case after turning herself in at the Baxter County Detention Center Monday.

According to the probable cause affidavit from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, and as KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News reported last month, Lunday was hired to care for the victim who is suffering from dementia. As part of her duties, she was allowed access to the victim’s walmart.com account to order items for the victim. The victim’s credit card was connected to the Walmart account.

In December, family members of the victim discovered her credit card was over the limit of $5,000 which caused the interest rate to jump to 30%. During a review of the statement and the Walmart account, they found Lunday had made $6,943 in unauthorized purchases which included food, clothes and party items. Some of the items were picked up at the Flippin Walmart and some were shipped to her home address. Some of the food items purchased at the Mountain Home Walmart were not consistent with the victim’s diet.

The family contacted Lunday’s place of employment. During an interview with her employer, Lunday admitted to receiving personal items using the victim’s credit card and Walmart account and was fired from her job.

Lunday is facing felony charges of abuse of an endangered of impaired person, non-financial identity fraud, theft of property over $5,000 and computer fraud. She is free after posting $15,000.

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