Caregiver who stole from elderly Elkton man gets probation

ELKTON — A woman accused of stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly Elkton man for whom she had been hired to provide in-home medical care has been placed on three years of supervised probation — and must pay $15,000 in restitution — after accepting a plea deal, according to Cecil County Circuit Court records.

Visiting Retired Kent County Circuit Court Administrative Judge Paul M. Bowman imposed an 18-month sentence on the defendant — Lori Fanning Hatton, 58, of Newark, Del. — and then suspended the penalty during a courtroom hearing on Monday, court records show.

The judge placed Hatton on three years of supervised probation and ordered her to pay $15,000 in restitution, according to court records.

Bowman sentenced Hatton after she had pleaded guilty to theft scheme to steal more than $1,500 and less than $25,000, which is a felony, court records show.

Det. William Muller of the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office started his investigation in May 2023, approximately five months after relatives of the then-77-year-old man had hired Hatton to take care of him at his residence, police said.

In April 2023, one month before the CCSO investigation started, relatives contacted authorities after checking the victim’s bank account and noticing that it had been reduced by $29,000, police added.

“Family members suspected that Hatton had removed the money without the victim’s authorization and reported this incident to Cecil County Adult Protective Services. This prompted an investigation (by) the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation revealed that Hatton made several hundred unauthorized Amazon purchases, as well as numerous ATM withdrawals,” Capt. Michael Holmes, a CCSO spokesman, outlined shortly after charges had been filed against Hatton.

Holmes reported that the man died before criminal charges were brought against Hatton and that his 77-year-old widow also was listed on that bank account.