Megan Reed, Campus Carrier News Editor
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| Photos courtesy of Cabin Log Kelsy (left) and Patricia (right) Dawsey and their mother have been charged with exploiting a Berry alumnus for financial gain. |
Two former Berry juniors, along with their mother, are being held in the Marion County Jail after being charged with exploiting a 91-year-old Berry high school alumnus for money, some of which was used to pay the students’ tuition.
According to the Associated Press, the bond for sisters Kelsy “Critter” Dawsey, 19, and Patricia “Buddy” Dawsey, 22, was set at $50,000 on Nov. 18. Their mother, Kathryn “Kit” Dawsey, 54, is being held without bond.
Kelsy, Patricia and Kathryn Dawsey are all facing charges of theft and exploitation of a disabled adult, Bob Webb. Kathryn Dawsey is facing another charge of theft by taking, Trebor Randle, assistant special agent in charge with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), said.
Marion County Sheriff Derrell Neal told The Journal, a newspaper in Buena Vista, Ga., that Kathryn Dawsey befriended Bob Webb of Buena Vista and convinced him to grant her power of attorney.
Randle said the Dawseys have been involved with Webb’s finances for over a year, although the GBI investigation is focusing on events within the past year.
The GBI began investigating the allegations in July after being contacted by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation has been ongoing since then, and the case remains “an open act of investigation,” Randle said.
A court order issued in September restricted Kathryn Dawsey from using Webb’s finances. However, transactions continued to be made from Webb’s account, Randle said.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Kathryn Dawsey’s Pike County home on Nov. 8. She was arrested and charged at that time, Danny Jackson, special agent in charge with GBI, told the Rome News-Tribune.
According to the Rome News-Tribune, Kelsy Dawsey was arrested on Nov. 10 after she turned herself into the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. Patricia Dawsey was arrested the next day after she turned herself in at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Kelsy and Patricia Dawsey are no longer enrolled at Berry, Jeanne Mathews, Berry’s assistant vice president of public relations and marketing, said.
Dale Benik, a relative of Webb, said the family is “very concerned” about the situation but declined further comment.