Vancouver woman sentenced to 10 months for stealing from family

A Vancouver woman was sentenced Monday to 10 months for cashing checks in her mother’s name, with whom she was living as her caretaker in 2017 and 2018.

Dana Lynn Cole, 54, pleaded guilty to identity theft and forgery in Clark County Superior Court.

She originally faced six counts of forgery, one count of theft from a vulnerable adult and one count of identity theft. She was also later accused of bail jumping after failing to appear for a hearing, court records show.

Cole moved in with her mother, Anna Cook, then 79, and stepfather, Roy Cook, then 84, in April 2017 at their Vancouver residence, according to an affidavit of probable cause. She made a nonfinancial agreement to be the primary caregiver for her mother, the affidavit said.

In February 2018, Roy Cook’s children became concerned that Cole was financially exploiting the elderly couple’s accounts, according to the affidavit. The couple said Cole did not have permission to access their joint Columbia Credit Union account, the affidavit said.

From September 2017 to February 2018, Cole forged her mother’s name on six checks written to herself for a total of $5,500, according to the affidavit. When compared with previous checks, the signatures didn’t match, the affidavit said.

On Sept. 6, 2017, $2,000 was transferred from the couple’s account to Cole’s, according to the affidavit.

Between May 2017 and February 2018, withdrawals outside of Roy Cook’s normal banking activities totaled more than $20,000, according to the affidavit. ATM surveillance photos on Jan. 6, 2018, captured Cole making $360 in withdrawals associated with the account, the affidavit said.

An arrest warrant was issued on May 3, 2019, and a Clark County sheriff’s deputy arrested Cole about three weeks later, according to court records.