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Caregiver stole from client, 92, deputies say

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By LISA A. DAVIS

ldavis@tampatrib.com

Published: November 4, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - A 43-year-old caregiver was arrested Monday, accused of stealing a client's blank checks and using them herself.

Stacy Loh of 3803 Chaffey Drive was arrested at Affinity Health Services, her former employer's office on U.S. 19. Loh's job was to be a companion to clients and help them with grocery shopping, light house cleaning and similar household tasks.

Stephanie Estevez, owner of Affinity Health Services, said Tuesday that she fired Loh in September before she knew about the check thefts.

She discovered that Loh had borrowed $20 from a 92-year-old client, and, even though Loh had paid it back, that kind of behavior was not tolerated, Estevez said.

Later, she learned that the same woman had checks missing. A Capital City Bank employee became concerned when she noticed that there were several out-of-order checks that had been cashed. The client told bank officials that she never wrote the checks, so the Pasco County Sheriff's Office was notified, a sheriff's report states.
Loh wrote four checks cashed for a total of $485, according to sheriff's office reports.

Sheriff's office spokesman Kevin Doll said Loh had done the same thing at another home health care agency in Clearwater.

Estevez said the other agency didn't properly report the thefts to the Florida Agency of Health Care Administration, so the matter didn't show up on Loh's background check when she hired her in June.

"Had they reported her, my client would've been safe," she said.

Estevez said she worked with a sheriff's detective to get Loh to show up at Affinity Health Services. She called Loh and made her an offer. "We said to her, 'We reconsidered and we would like to talk to you about giving you your job back,'

" Estevez said.

When Loh arrived Monday afternoon, a sheriff's detective arrested her.
Loh was being held Tuesday at the Land O' Lakes Jail on charges of forgery, grand theft and uttering a forged instrument. Bail was set at $15,000.

Estevez said she planned to fax Loh's mug shot to other local home health agencies so they don't hire her. "She doesn't need to be going into anybody's house," Estevez said.

"How do you steal from a legally blind person?" she said. "That, to me, is disgusting."

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