Debit card missing: Waukesha woman accused of stealing from woman in her care
Ashley Ignatowski
WAUKESHA COUNTY -- 24-year-old Ashley Ignatowski of Waukesha faces a misdemeanor count of theft for allegedly stealing from a woman for whom she cares.
According to the criminal complaint, the son of the victim in this case went to police on Thursday, June 30th after learning from another caregiver that his mother's debit card was missing. The victim in this case has memory problems associated with a stroke she had in recent months.
The complaint indicates the son "found that the debit card had been used on multiple occasions between June 27, 2016 and June 30, 2016." The card was "used nine times with eight of the transactions being in the Milwaukee/Waukesha area and one transaction being in Marshfield."
Police spoke with the supervisor of the home health care individuals who were taking care of the victim -- and "he indicated that one of the caregivers was an Ashley Ignatowski. He further indicated that he had noted on her Facebook feed that she was in fact in Marshfield, Wisconsin at the time in question."
Investigators obtained video surveillance on a number of the transactions -- and according to the complaint, "it did appear that the individual using the card was in fact Ashley Ignatowski."
When questioned by police, Ignatowski "claimed that she found the BMO Harris gift card in a driveway three residences away from (the victim's) residence. She indicated that she and (the victim) were on a walk when she found the card." Ignatowski told police she contacted the bank to see whose card it was, but they told her they couldn't give her that information. The complaint goes on to say Ignatowski "indicated that she had used the card until it was no longer usable and at that point had thrown it away."
If convicted of the theft charge, Ignatowski faces up to nine months in prison and $10,000 in fines.