Assisted living employee accused of using dementia patient's credit card

An assisted living employee in Elm Grove is accused of taking a dementia patient's credit card and charging items.

On Dec. 28 the Elm Grove Police Department was called about a possible theft at Heritage Assisted Living Facility, 800 Wall St. 

According to the criminal complaint, the patient's relative received a notification of charges put on his credit card. 

The patient and a relative went to his room and found his wallet on a desk, but a credit card was missing. 

The complaint said surveillance footage on Dec. 22 showed Angela L. Villegas, 23, purchasing two shirts valued at $36 from the Gap store using the patient's credit card. The same day she also went to a nail salon and got a manicure for $67 using the credit card. 
 
Villegas admitted to officers she used the stolen card, but said didn't steal the credit card from the patient's wallet. She said she found it on the floor of the break room, the complaint said. 

Villegas said she took the card on Dec. 20 while she was working in the Memory Care unit, and stated she did not use the card until Dec. 22, according to the complaint. 

Lynn Sheka, Heritage Senior Living spokesperson said,"Heritage Senior Living takes very seriously our responsibility to provide a safe, secure and supportive environment for our residents. All prospective Heritage employees go through a screening process and a State-mandated background check before being hired. As soon as we learned about the incident, we immediately terminated the employee involved. Although one caregiver made an error in judgement, our Heritage caregivers truly care about our residents and their well-being.  Our top priority remains the security and comfort of our more than 2,500 residents throughout Wisconsin." 

Villegas was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with two counts of identity theft last week. She faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted. Her next court date is Feb. 2.