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Shelter To Help Women Swindled By Employee

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TBO.com

Published: February 27, 2009

A shelter for abused homeless women will establish a fund to reimburse women there who said they were swindled by an employee.

Bartow police on Thursday filed charges of felony scheme to defraud and felony grand theft charges against Rosemarie Sherwood, 65, who acted as a house mother at the Women's Care Center in Bartow.

Police said Sherwood stole $18,000 from four of the residents, squirreled away from small deposits she promised to hold in an account until they needed a deposit on an apartment or for utilities.

Sherwood told police she instead used the money on gambling trips.

Today, Mary Smith, the shelter's executive director, said the board of directors plans to establish a fund to help the women who lost their money. One of the members is out of town today, delaying a meeting among the board until next week.

The shelter had not conducted a background check before hiring Sherwood, whom Smith said had lived there for several months in the past.

Public records show she has served time in both Florida and New Jersey state prisons on fraud and theft charges.

Sherwood, whose name also appears as Rose Marie Sherwood, is being held without bail at the Polk County Jail on a warrant from New Jersey charging her with violating her parole from that state.

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