An area home healthcare aide is accused of using a client’s debit card without permission to pay a phone bill. Thirty-two-year-old Gimmie Harlow of Mountain View was booked into the Stone County Detention Center and is facing felony and misdemeanor counts of theft of property and another misdemeanor of fraudulent use of a credit or debit card.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a Mountain View officer contacted a male at the Stone County Sheriff’s Office. The male stated his mother’s debit card was used in mid-May without her permission to pay a phone bill of over $150. The male also stated his mother was a client of an area home healthcare service, and several aides have access to her bank card. He said he didn’t know if one of the aids used the card, and the phone provider wouldn’t provide any information due to privacy laws.
A subpoena was sent to the phone provider, and on June 13, investigators received information showing the bill was paid on Harlow’s account with the victim’s debit card. Harlow was reportedly an employee of the home healthcare service and had worked as one of the victim’s aides.
A Mountain View investigator met with Harlow at the police station on Wednesday. Harlow reportedly stated her client had an old cellphone that didn’t work well, so she put the victim’s card information on her phone and stored it as a payment method. Harlow claimed to have done similar things for other clients to purchase items at an area retailer, pick up the items and take them to their residences. Harlow also reportedly said she was behind on her cellphone payment, and she didn’t have enough funds in her checking account. The next payment method was reportedly the victim’s debit card. Harlow apologized for the incident.
Harlow has been released from jail after posting a bond of $2,500.
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