VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man who was hired to help the elderly in Virginia Beach is now under arrest.
The WTKR News 3 Investigative Team continues to report on issues impacting some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
Court records state Devin Johnson, 28, worked for Hand N’ Heart, a company that provides in-home care services for seniors.
In September, an elderly woman reported that jewelry was stolen from her home. Police arrested Johnson after using information gathered at pawn shops.
Watch previous coverage: Seniors in Virginia Beach learn how to protect themselves and avoid danger
Records also explain how back in January, the elderly woman was attacked when the family's home was robbed. It states that when she heard the dog barking in the middle of the night and caught two men trying to steal her safe, they then hit her with it.
No one has been arrested for that crime and police do not have any suspect information.
Documents state that the Regional Vice President of Hand N' Heart told police Johnson was previously not welcomed back at another client’s house because they said, “Devin had asked to use the restroom, and the client then found Devin rummaging through his pockets in this bedroom.”
Johnson did not face any charges for this.
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We repeatedly emailed and called Hand N’ Heart and eventually got an email from the vice president, who responded, “Our policy is, we do not respond to the media at the local level.”
The U.S. Department of Justice reports that at least 1 out of 10 adults over the age of 65 suffer from at least one type of abuse each year, but experts say these kinds of crimes are underreported.
AARP said financial exploitation is a common form of elderly abuse and estimated to cause $28.3 billion in losses each year.
“It’s terrible, it’s cowardly, and it’s just an awful thing, but the reality is, it’s happening ,” said Sgt. Nicholas Davison with the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office.
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The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office reports that between May and October, they’ve held 12 senior safety seminars in response to crimes against seniors.
Sgt. Davison said the goal of the classes is to give seniors the knowledge and skill set to protect themselves and avoid dangerous situations if possible.
“The whole reason why we started this program was... the rise in attacks on seniors," said Sgt. Davison. "We want our seniors in our community to feel confident, safe, and know they have ways to protect themselves."
They said in total, over 500 seniors have gone through the program. They learn situational awareness, how to protect themselves and tips to avoid danger.
“It’s a lot of fun to watch these people progress from being a little timid and scared to be confident in what they can do to protect themselves," Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Senior Program Outreach Coordinator Gary Zalas said. "That transition is just absolutely amazing to watch."
With the population of seniors growing, those who work to protect them want the community to be aware of problems and the resources available.
“We’re growing in leaps and bounds as seniors and people don’t understand that. There are a lot of seniors out there today,” said Zalas.
