On January 9, 2017 Shawna Jourdan, 31, of Sonora, California was sentenced to 7 years and 4 months in state prison by Judge Donald Segerstrom after being convicted of felony charges for dissuading a witness, theft from an elder, 6 counts of identity theft and failing to appear. Assistant District Attorney Eric Hovatter, who prosecutes all elder abuse cases in the county, indicated that in the summer of 2015 Ms. Jourdan moved onto the property of her grandparents and began helping her grandmother who was recovering from surgery. Ms. Jourdan was provided with her grandmother’s debit card and immediately began making small purchases for her grandmother and getting cash back in large amounts that she kept. In the space of one month Ms. Jourdan illegally withdrew over $21,000 from her grandparent’s account. Although Ms. Jourdan faced up to 28 years in state prison Mr. Hovatter agreed to the lesser time based on the fact that Ms. Jourdan’s prior criminal history was minimal and she now has a strike conviction that will expose her to much more severe consequences should she commit a felony in the future.
