Convicted felon caregiver stole tens of thousands, now "violated" Colorado family advocates for changes in state law
CBS 4 News
A Douglas County family says the woman they let into their Colorado home to take care of their most vulnerable family member stole thousands of dollars and their sense of security from them.
"Pulling out the pictures, it's 'Where are you? How come you're gone?'" said David Ward.
Ward still talks to his wife De Etta.
"We met 51 years ago in Duncan, Oklahoma, at a square dance," Ward said.
The couple shared decades of marriage and a daughter. De Etta worked as a teacher, lawyer and herbal business owner. She suffered from Parkinson's disease for more than a decade.
After De Etta broke her ribs, Ward hired All Generations Home Care, which placed caregiver Crystal Harrison in their home in late 2021.
Soon after Harrison left the home in January 2022, Ward got a call about fraudulent charges on his credit card. He realized the card was missing from their home, along with $40,000 of cash and nearly $45,000 worth of family heirloom jewelry.
"I had taken De Etta's wedding ring and earrings off because her hands were getting smaller, and I was afraid it would slide off and I was looking for them after Christmas and I couldn't find them," Ward said.
The jewelry and money were kept in a bag in De Etta's room. Ward says Harrison had seen him open it days before the theft, and she was the only one alone in the room with De Etta during that time.
"I don't know if she was awake when it happened in front of her," Ward said.
He believed the theft was deeply hurtful to his wife.
"She couldn't trust anybody. She probably didn't even trust me to provide her a trustworthy caregiver."
Ward says the violation of trust was worse than the theft itself.
"It's hard to put words, I was extremely angry, frustrated, depressed, beating myself up for not knowing and not being able to protect my wife from this abuse," Ward said.
De Etta's health declined rapidly after the theft.
"Then she died July 14 in bed next to me," Ward said. "I firmly believe that [the theft] caused the premature death of my wife."
According to arrest paperwork, Harrison stopped working for All Generations Home Care in January of 2022. It appears she was hired by another care agency shortly after.
Harrison was found guilty of felony theft from an at-risk person in the Ward case, and two other cases in Jefferson County and in Denver, which occurred later in 2022. She was sentenced to 5 years, 10 years and 17 years to run concurrently.
"I feel like she's not being punished for what she did in my house," Ward said.
Arrest paperwork indicates Harrison has a lengthy prior criminal history, including felony convictions for vehicular assault with misdemeanor DUI, burglary, and menacing. Harrison was on parole at the time of the theft at the Ward home.
It also states a caretaker who had previously been sent to the home by All Generations had been convicted of seven felonies, including vehicle theft.
"It's like they don't know that they're selling trust. You're telling me they're trusted, so I'm trusting them," Ward said.
State law requires home care agencies to do criminal history checks of job applicants, but Ward was never informed of either caretaker's background.
"We were violated," Ward said.
Ward never got back the jewelry that was stolen, including De Etta's wedding ring.
He was not successful in suing All Generations.
"There's no consequences to the companies," Ward said.
Now Ward wants to change Colorado state law to hold care agencies accountable in situations like this.
"There's regulations but the regulations don't seem to do any good. It should be a criminal act," Ward said.
He's written letters to his local lawmakers, hoping to save another family from this kind of pain.
Despite numerous calls and emails, CBS Colorado never heard back from All Generations. A visit to the address listed on their website found no sign of the business.
All Generations is not currently licensed under the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
CDPHE was unable to share details about their past licensure, or what actions may have been taken in response to this incident.
The agency shared the following comment:
"Home Care Agencies must require job applicants to complete a criminal history record check to determine if they have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. Home Care Agencies must consider the factors found at 6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 26, Part 5.9(C)(4) when employing an applicant with a felony or misdemeanor. Additionally, agencies must develop and implement policies and procedures regarding the employment of individuals with criminal convictions to ensure they do not pose a risk to the health, safety, and welfare of the consumer. Agencies must also demonstrate compliance with the Colorado Adult Protective Services Data System check requirements before employing any individual to provide direct consumer care or services.
All home care agencies in Colorado are statutorily required to be licensed with the state, per 25-27.5-103, C.R.S
The department investigates these types of allegations to determine if the license requirements referred to above were followed. You can find a history of licensed facility survey complaints on our website.
We expect licensed home care facilities to protect their patients and their property, and we expect them to follow the law regarding background checks. If we learn that this is not occurring, we will not hesitate to enforce the law."