Boyfriend accused of stealing nearly $35,000 from girlfriend
Police in Plum Borough are looking for a man who is accused of stealing nearly $35,000 from his girlfriend.
The Plum Borough Police Department said 64-year-old David Merriweather became the woman's caretaker and allegedly stole the money. According to the criminal complaint, Merriweather wrote checks for almost $35,000 to himself from his girlfriend's account. According to his girlfriend, she never signed off on any of that.
Court records said the victim's son contacted police back in May. He said his mother's health had been declining since Merriweather became her self-appointed caretaker. They had been living at a house on Duquesne Boulevard since last fall and had been in a relationship since 2018.
Plum police could not comment specifically on this case on Tuesday. The department said if you are keeping finances separate in a relationship, they recommend not allowing people to have access to your account, routing number, or credit cards.
"Or any other identifying information that would allow them access into financial records or accounts," Plum detective Joseph Little said.
Investigators said as the victim's health declined, she was put in hospice care, at which point they received a "comfort box" of medication for her. The woman's son told police Merriweather forced pills from the victim's medicine into her mouth, followed by dumping a mixed drink down her throat.
Police allege Merriweather made four checks from her account payable to him over a period of several days and cashed them at a First National Bank in New Kensington. Three of the checks were for $9,900, and one was for $5,000. Bank employees flagged them for being fraudulent.
In a statement, FNB said it has screening systems to check for suspicious activity. In cases like this, officials recommend filing a police report to try and get the money back.
"As part of the adjudication and court system, they could always be ordered to pay restitution," Little said.
Merriweather faces charges of theft, forgery, fraud, and accessing stolen property.
