Charles City man pleads guilty to stealing from his grandmother

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Floyd County District Court judge accepted a guilty plea this week from a Charles City man charged with stealing from his grandmother.

Casey Lee Olson, age 33, was charged with abuse of a dependant adult, a Class D felony, and first-degree theft, a Class C felony, for allegedly taking about $15,000 from his grandmother’s bank accounts and cashing in certificates of deposit worth around $17,000.

Olsen entered a written plea of guilty to abuse of a dependent adult last week and Judge Chris Foy accepted the plea on Monday. Foy set sentencing for Jan. 18, 2022.

In return for the guilty plea, the Floyd County Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss the theft charge and recommend a sentence of up to five years in prison, fully suspended; three years probation to the Iowa Department of Correctional Services; $1,375 fine plus 15% surcharge, fully suspended; restitution; and treatment for gambling addiction.

A plea agreement recommendation is not binding, and the judge can impose any sentence allowed for conviction of the crime for which the guilty plea was made.

The thefts took place from October 2020 through March 2021 while the victim was a resident of a local nursing home, according to documents filed in Floyd County District Court.

Court documents say the grandmother had given Olson power of attorney and permission to use her accounts only to pay bills, utilities and taxes, which totaled about $1,000 a month.