Woman nets sentence in exploitation case

SANDPOINT — A Spirit Lake woman accused of preying on a stroke victim for personal financial gain was given a suspended 30-day jail sentence, according to court documents.

Elise Ann Davidson was originally charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a felony. In an agreement with the state, Davidson pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor theft on June 10.

Davidson, 41, was accused of using the stricken 64-year-old Edgemere man’s financial power of attorney to drain as much as $4,000 from the man’s bank account while he was convalescing at a Sandpoint assisted living facility.

The exploitation occurred between November 2008 and March 2009, charging papers said. The man was confined to a wheelchair and incapable of speaking, writing.

A petition for emergency guardianship alleged an unnamed individual sought to have the man discharged from Life Care Center and moved into her home. The petition also alleged that the man’s monthly Social Security benefits were not being turned over to the nursing home to cover the costs of caring for him, conduct that was attributed to Davidson in the criminal investigation.

The victim in the case died of stroke-related respiratory failure in December of last year, according to a death certificate filed in the guardianship case. He died while plea negotiations were under way in Davidson’s criminal case.

Immediately after entering the plea, 1st District Judge Steve Verby imposed the suspended 30-day sentence and ordered Davidson to pay $1,000 in reimbursement to Life Care. She was also ordered to surrender a Honda Civic involved in the criminal case and placed on unsupervised probation for one year.

Davidson has been free on her own recognizance for the duration of the criminal proceedings.