Bluffton caretaker accused of stealing from paraplegic woman

A 21-year-old Bluffton woman was arrested Oct. 28 on five counts of forgery and one count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult after turning herself in for stealing more than $13,000 from a paraplegic woman she was hired to care for, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report released Thursday.

The victim told authorities Oct. 8 that the suspect had stolen and forged 14 checks from her home in Tide Pointe on Hilton Head Island while the woman was supposed to be caring for her. The victim said she'd confronted the caregiver about money missing from her checking account -- and the caregiver admitted to forging the checks, the report said.

The suspect told authorities she'd been hired a few months ago. She said she stole the checks because she was eight months pregnant and needed more money to support the baby, according to the report.