Caregivers Steal $50,000 From 83-Year-Old: Martha And Donald Coghill Arrested At Concert – Tix Bought By Theft
Martha Coghill and her husband, Donald Coghill, have been arrested due to what Oregon State Police say was the criminal mistreatment and theft from an 83-year-old man. The unnamed elderly man (varying reports say it was an elderly woman) was in the care of Martha and a resident of Grants Pass, Oregon. Grants Pass is located in Josephine County, Oregon, on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford. Martha and Donald were accused of exploiting the man for financial gain.
According to Zillow, some of the cheapest homes in Grants Pass are listed for sale around $300,000 or more. The most expensive houses for sale currently in the Grants Pass area are priced at $850,000 to $865,000. Therefore, it is safe to say that the $50,000 that police say the Coghill couple stole from the man over a period of two years may have come from an older man of means. A Josephine County grand jury saw fit to indict 48-year-old Martha and her 55-year-old husband. While Donald was charged with only one count of theft, Martha was charged with various counts of theft.
According to KGW, the Goghills used the $50,000 they took from the elderly man to buy alcohol, a pre-owned vehicle, and concert tickets. Donald and Martha used the credit card of the victim, as well as his checking account.
The Coghills tipped off police to their whereabouts when they used the financial account of their victim to purchase concert tickets to a musical festival in Central Point. That’s where police found Donald and Martha on Thursday. Information was not known regarding if the Coghills had hired a lawyer in the wake of their arrest.
As reported by KPTV, Oregon State Police began receiving information about the case on January 20. Eventually, they teamed with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to make the arrests. Martha and Donald were the focus of an investigation that lasted for five months.
The Mail Tribune reports that the Coghills also paid for their vet bills, utility services, and their phone services with the victim’s money. Donald faces the felony theft charge, while Martha faces five counts of criminal mistreatment in the first degree.
Grants Pass was also where Thomas Markle Jr., half brother of Meghan Markle, was recently arrested.
Thomas Markle Jr, 50, was arrested on gun charges in Grants Pass, Oregon on Thursday night aft… https://t.co/IUSssabEST @DailyMailCeleb
— ludovic choupo (@ludovicchoupo) January 16, 2017
[Featured Image by Oregon State Police/AP Images]
