West Plains, MO. – A Pottersville couple was arrested Sunday for stealing over $200,000 from the elderly mother of one of the accused. Jeffrey, 64, and Juanita, 54, Proffitt were arrested on October 27 and each were charged with Financial Exploitation of Elder/Disabled Person and Stealing $25,000 or more, both felonies, and held on $25,000 bond that was posted that day. edit- the day that bond was posted was initially incorrect. Bond was posted the same day.
According to the probable cause statement, an investigation by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on actions taken by the Proffitts from July 2019 through August 2021, where the accused were said to have taken over $204,273.35 from Carolyn Proffitt, the mother of Jeffrey, after she had came to live with them following a medical emergency, was the source of the charges.
During this time, Carolyn’s home had caught fire and she had received a check from her insurance company for $140,100. Her daughter-in-law, Juanita, used that check to open a bank account that the victim did not have access to. In June of 2020, a $42,103.14 check from the sale of Carolyn’s home was also deposited into the account.
The accused had then written numerous checks from the account from March 2020 and January 2021, totaling $77,000, and another $74,236.30 of other suspicious charges. A review of this new bank account and Carolyn’s original bank account revealed the missing $204,273.35.
During an interview, the son stated since he thought his mother would stay in his home “until she was gone”, he thought they could spend the money.
The couple will next go before Judge Steven Privette in the Howell County Courthouse on Monday, November 7, 2022.
