Two arrested after woman kidnapped, force to withdraw thousands of dollars
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - Two women have been arrested for kidnapping a 77-year-old woman forcing her to withdraw thousands of dollars from her bank account, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said.
Cha-Rae Owens, 51, of Atlanta, and Sharon Sanford, 61, of Douglasville, were booked into the Forsyth County jail on charges of exploitation of the elderly (elder abuse), kidnapping, theft by deception, identity fraud/theft, forgery in the first degree.
Deputies said the women confront the victim as she was walking out to her car parked in front of the Goodwill located on Atlanta Highway in Cumming. Investigators said the suspects told the older woman to get into their car or "something would happen to her."
The pair then drove the woman to the bank and told her to take out $10,000 and they would give her $45,000. The older woman did not alert the clerk because she told investigators the two were watching her closely and she was afraid they would harm her.
The two suspects then had the woman get back into their car, hand over the cash, and then took down her personal information from her driver’s license and credit cards, deputies said.
The woman was then dropped back off in the area of Merchant's Square where they handed her a bank envelope full of fake money, investigators said.
"Criminals don't care who their victims are, just like FCSO doesn't care what it takes to bring criminals to justice. If you target our most vulnerable, you can expect to end up just like these two suspects in the Forsyth County Jail, likely without Bond. I am so proud of the deputies and detectives who worked so quickly in this case and allowed us to recover our victims $10,000 for her and put these suspects exactly where they belong, in Jail. It was indeed excellent police work yet again from our deputies," said Sheriff Ron Freeman.
The older woman quickly went inside a nearby business, once she was released, and told the receptionist about the incident. Deputies responded and were able to take a full statement, description of the suspect, and a description and partial tag number.
Deputies said they were able to catch up with the women along Georgia Highway 400 near the county line and stopped them.
Investigator said they were able to recover the woman’s money and take the two suspects into custody without incident.
Detectives said they are working to determine if the pair have been involved in any other crimes.
Both suspects are being held in the Forsyth County jail without bond.
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