A 29-year-old housekeeper from Florida, named Heather Nelson, is facing serious charges after allegedly robbing and attacking her 83-year-old employer on Christmas Eve. The elderly woman had told Nelson that she couldn’t afford to give her a holiday bonus, which is when the crime occurred.
According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Nelson assaulted the elderly woman, causing her wrist to swell, and demanded a large Christmas bonus. After the woman refused, Nelson took her checkbook by force. She also stole Christmas cards with money in them, as well as some debit and credit cards. Nelson then left the house and used the woman’s checks to try to steal money by forging signatures.
The woman’s injuries, including the swollen wrist, were photographed by police. The authorities traced the stolen money through the woman’s bank transactions, which led to Nelson’s arrest on January 7. The delay in arresting her was due to the time it took to investigate the financial fraud.
Nelson is facing several charges, including robbery, aggravated battery, fraud, forgery, and grand theft. The sheriff’s office mocked Nelson on social media, calling her the “real Grinch who tried to steal Christmas.” They listed the “gifts” she received as part of her arrest, including a booking photo, shower slides, and jail food. Sheriff Wayne Ivey concluded by saying that Nelson was now in jail where she could not harm anyone else.
This case highlights the problem of financial abuse against the elderly, with seniors losing billions of dollars each year to fraud and theft. In some cases, such crimes go unreported, making it even harder to know the full extent of the issue.
In a separate incident, a man named Neil Champagne, 51, was arrested for stalking and harassing his neighbor while dressed as Santa Claus. Champagne was accused of writing a derogatory message on the victim’s driveway and threatening him. The victim said Champagne, while in his Santa suit, yelled at him and wrote the word “pedophile” on the ground with chalk. Champagne was arrested on Christmas Eve in Palatka, Florida, after the victim called the police.
