Two Port Barre people have been booked on exploitation charges, accused of spending money that belongs to a man one of them was a caretaker for.
Bryan Charles Vidrine, 46, and Amanda Renee Briscoe, 40, both of Port Barre, were booked with exploitation of the infirm following an investigation that began in April.
The sheriff's office was called by a person who said they had the power of attorney for a disabled family member and noticed some $30,000 in transactions on the family member's credit card that shouldn't have been there.
The complainant identified Briscoe as the family member's caretaker for the past five years.
Deputies found out that several online transactions between July 2020 and February 2022 had been made using the disabled man's credit card, including a state hunting license application that was purchased by Vidrine in November 2021.
Detectives checked with the bank, and found that $18,000 of the funds had been credited back to the man's account, leaving $12,000 lost.
Upon questioning by detectives, Vidrine allegedly said he used Briscoe's phone to get his hunting license, and found the credit card stored on the phone. Briscoe allegedly said she had the credit card in her phone because she purchased things for him. She also said other household members had used her phone for purchases.
