Cash stolen out of dying man’s account paid for liquor, pool hall and other purchases
A 58-year-old man who stole thousands from his dying stepfather to pay for booze, billiards hall purchases and other items has been ordered to serve 18 months of probation after pleading guilty in May to felony theft and identity theft.
Authorities say Bradley Schuh of Wichita spent money out of his 76-year-old stepfather’s bank account without permission while his stepfather was hospitalized and living in a nursing facility for severe dementia and other ailments from August 2018 until his February 2019 death.
An affidavit released in the case says Schuh used his stepfather’s debit card to pay for liquor, pool hall purchases, gasoline and other items all while refusing to cooperate with the hospital over his stepfather’s care. The hospital eventually sought an emergency guardian for the elderly man, and Schuh was reported to the state’s adult protective services authorities for alleged financial abuse.
In all, $9,189.01 plus $43.18 in fees was misappropriated out of the victim’s bank account between Aug. 23, 2018, and Feb. 25, 2019, according to the affidavit. Schuh also admitted to authorities that he applied for two loans using his stepfather’s personal information and deposited a fake bank cashier’s check into his stepfather’s account, the affidavit says.
At his July 29 sentencing, Sedgwick County District Judge Tyler Roush followed attorneys’ recommendation to place Schuh on probation. The sentence carries an underlying prison term of 27 months, which Schuh could be ordered to serve if he fails to follow the rules on probation.
He was not ordered to pay restitution, said Dan Dillon, spokesman for Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett’s office.
Schuh was originally charged with mistreatment of an elder person, theft, three counts of criminal use of a financial card, identity theft and forgery. Prosecutors agreed to drop most of those counts in exchange for his guilty plea.
