BUCYRUS — A former director of Maplecrest Assisted Living Facility in Bucyrus was sentenced in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday.
Rogena Tucker, 50, of Bucyrus pleaded guilty to one count of grand theft, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 36 months in prison. Tucker admitted to stealing at total of $76,258.28 in rent and other monies from the residents of the assisted care facility run by the King’s Daughters and Sons of Ohio.
Tucker was represented by Bucyrus attorney Andrew Motter who negotiated a plea deal with the State of Ohio. Before sentencing, Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold clarified the basic facts of the case.
“There are two elements to this case. Ms. Tucker cheated her employer out of overtime pay and exaggerated the hours she worked,” Leuthold said. “Money taken in regard to tenant rents were never deposited in the Maplecrest accounts but rather deposited in Ms. Tuckers own accounts.”
Jason Snyder, an investigator with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Columbus told the court that Tucker had intercepted money for herself but that the tenants continued to receive services.
Leuthold thanked Snyder for his excellent work and for making clear that the tenants still received services.
“Had I found out that one tenant had not received services I would not accept the plea and put her in prison,” Leuthold said.
Before deciding to accept a plea agreement that would include community control and restitution, Leuthold heard from one representative of Maplecrest.
Sue Bryenton, whose term as President of the Board of King’s Daughters was completed in October, read a statement to the court regarding the impact of Tucker’s actions.
“The Maplecrest Assisted Living Facility is funded through the rent money and donations from over 300 men and women who are the King’s Daughters and Sons members in Ohio,” Bryenton said.
Bryenton read from a long list of various misdeeds committed by Tucker.
“She took the cash that residents stored and spent it on going out to lunch and other items. For five years she overcharged the board members for lunch provided on meeting days. She was never at work, therefore allowing the staff to run Maplecrest with no supervision.
“Her own personnel file was missing after she left. The resident’s medical notebooks were not up to date and organized for an upcoming state inspection. The employees were told to never call any of the board members to tell us what was happening.
“She manipulated the staff by bad-mouthing the board, especially me, into thinking we were bad people. Strewn around the basement was old equipment. Her parents’ clothes (after they passed) were in a pile in the corner. Employees told me our donations of washing machine soap never made it out of her trunk.
“Employees told me furniture stored for residents went to furnish her brother’s apartment. The medicine left after a resident passed was never destroyed properly. It was put in a cabinet drawer and then disappeared. A resident on hospice was allowed to stay at the facility for two months before she passed.
“She always needed money from the board saying she couldn’t meet the bills. At least once, the electricity was to be shut off. She hired unqualified people to work there. Her son was the maintenance man and then became the head cook and knew nothing about food ordering.”
Bryenton told the court that she had to leave her home in Medina with her dog and live at Maplecrest for about a year. She told the court that board members spend countless hours every day at the facility organizing things and throwing things out that filled two large dumpsters.
After then-treasurer Beth Marshall took over, things began to get done correctly and all bills paid.
“Because of her (Tucker’s) untrue rumors spread around Bucyrus saying Maplecrest was a bad place to live, she has hurt our reputation as a loving, caring organization that takes care of the elderly in Bucyrus,” Bryenton said.
Although Maplecrest is recovering from the incident, is now full and has a waiting list, Bryenton had some harsh concluding comments.
“What kind of person steals from a charitable Christian service organization? Who steals all rent money from a resident by making that check payable to herself? Bryenton said. “We have been playing this waiting game of closure with this criminal for three years now while she has enjoyed three cruises in the last two years. She deliberately stole from us and lied to us. The betrayal of our residents, staff and the Ohio board is just heartbreaking. Losing $76,258.28 was a devastating loss to our organization.
“Our bonding company paid us $20,000 but dropped us immediately,” Bryenton continued. “With that being said, this closure on this day will affect many people. We will now be able to have a new normal at Maplecrest and have peace in our hearts and minds. Thank you.”
Leuthold thanked the board members present for the good work they do.
“I want you to understand why I am going to grant community control in this case. It’s because I want to see you folks get your money back,” Leuthold said. “If I keep her out of prison she will have to pay. If I put her in prison, you’re not going to see your money.
“She no longer has the rights of other people,” Leuthold continued. “She won’t be going on any cruises. She has no right to travel, she has no right to move, she can’t hang out with whoever she wants to, and she can’t spend her money on what she wants. We take community control very seriously. My officers are former detectives and law enforcement employees. They are strict and no nonsense. If she messes up, she will be swiftly sent to prison. If you read Crawford County Now, you will see people who violate community control are routinely sent to prison. If she thinks she’s going on cruises and living it up she is deadly wrong.”
Leuthold ordered Tucker to pay restitution in the amount of $56,258.28 to Maplecrest.
“I want to see you get paid back. She violated the trust of good people,” Leuthold said. “Funds were stolen and Maplecrest was run in a substandard way. The damage to your reputation is devastating. But now, Maplecrest is being run the right way and you have overcome it and I applaud you.”
Tucker declined to make a comment in court.
“You are on very thin ice here. You will do every single day of the five years of community control,” Leuthold told Tucker. “The only way I would consider letting you off even one day early is if you pay every cent of this restitution. Officer Sinclair is your supervising officer and there will be zero tolerance in this case.”