Investigators say a local woman who was supposed to be taking care of a Salisbury woman with health issues used the victim’s checking account to pay her own utility bills.
The victim, a 66-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s, placed Barbara Burris, 48, in charge of her checking account. The woman believed Burris was paying her bills, but instead, investigators say Burris spent $4,200 of the victim’s money.
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office charged Burris with numerous counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses. She was arrested Tuesday in Concord. A department report said Burris paid $276.45 on one utility bill and $347.99 on another. The son of the victim contacted law enforcement and said on at least 19 different occasions Burris withdrew money from his mother’s account. In 2004, Burris was convicted of misdemeanor worthless checks and received probation.