DeLand, FL - A 35-year-old DeLand woman ends up behind bars after detectives say she stole over $165,000 from her elderly aunt over a 16-month period.
Brandie L. Woodward continually ducked officers from the DeLand Police Department assigned to investigate the case until her arrest on Friday (January 11th), according to city spokesman Chris Graham.
"Detectives attempted to interview Brandie Woodward on several occasions," Graham added. "Each time, she would cancel the meeting."
As of this afternoon, Woodward is held on $5,000 bond at Volusia County Jail on a felony charge of grand theft.
The investigation started last May when a Florida Department of Children & Families case worker tipped DeLand PD, prompting them to send an officer to the East International Speedway Boulevard apartment of Woodward's 79-year-old aunt, according to the arrest report.
Once officers reached Woodward's aunt, she told them she discovered numerous unauthorized transactions from her savings account after calling the bank to find out why she wasn't getting her monthly statements in the mail.
Investigators say it appears that Woodward had those monthly statements routed from her aunt's residence to her own soon after her aunt gave her power of attorney. Woodward also placed herself as the beneficiary to a life insurance policy in her aunt's name, per the report.
The arrest report shows at least 181 unauthorized transactions from the savings account of Woodward's aunt to an account controlled by Woodward totaling $165,019. All those transactions happened between January 2017 to April 2018. Investigators say some suspicious transactions were also discovered in December 2016.
Woodward has since been removed as her aunt's power of attorney and her aunt told investigators she wanted to pursue charges because she never authorized her niece to do any of those transactions.
Woodward's aunt also told DeLand PD she canceled a credit card she had issued for Woodward and removed her as her life insurance beneficiary soon after discovering the thefts.
DCF officials say Woodward's aunt is of sound mind but does suffer from some physical issues associated with aging, per the report.
