Caregiver sentenced to probation; victim's niece says she should serve jail time

An Indiana caregiver has been sentenced by Indiana County Common Pleas Judge Gina R. Force to five years’ probation, and ordered to pay restitution to a woman in her late 80s from whom $23,400 was stolen.

Indiana County District Attorney Robert F. Manzi Jr. said Jacqueline Elise Caylor, 35, entered an open guilty plea to theft by unlawful taking, felony of the third degree; and forgery, felony of the second degree.

“Caylor was hired by a family to provide care for an elderly woman in the victim’s home,” Manzi said. “Caylor was tasked with helping with daily tasks around the house, personal care for the victim and overall helping of the victim. Instead, Caylor set aside her tasks and took advantage of the victim and her family by stealing money for her own needs.”

The victim’s niece said Caylor took far more than that, and should serve prison time.

“The issue of stolen money is the least of the family’s concerns,” Charlene B. Yendell wrote in a victim impact statement on her aunt’s behalf. “She took (her) home, her independence, and her dignity.”

She said state police did not conduct a thorough investigation, saying troopers only talked to her aunt once she was removed from her home to an assisted care facility.

“I want the convicted felon, Jacque Caylor, to be restricted from ever working with a vulnerable population again,” Yendell said. “Her record should never be expunged so as to protect future victims. I want Jacque Caylor to serve time in jail.”

Manzi said Caylor “was given the opportunity to earn a living while helping a vulnerable member of our community. Instead, she set aside her obligations and thought only of herself in stealing from the victim.”

The district attorney said the Caylor case “is a demonstration of why families are so reluctant to find (in-home care) for their loved ones. Instead of safety, comfort and companionship, the family was victimized.”