Police: Woman stole vulnerable senior’s car, used it to steal liquor
A Las Vegas woman is in jail on charges she stole a vehicle from a vulnerable senior, then used the vehicle to steal liquor while wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Demetria L. Martin, 33, is charged with two felony counts of exploiting an old/vulnerable person and one count of grand larceny of an auto.
She was arrested April 13 on the charges, which date to a March 2018 incident in which a 65-year-old Las Vegas man had his vehicle stolen. An arrest report for Martin indicates a person who has power of attorney over the man’s affairs reported the vehicle stolen, noting the victim was in a “diminished physical state” at the time of the theft.
Martin, using the name “Demetria Tyler,” showed up at the man’s house in February 2018, according to police, in response to an ad seeking a home health care provider. Martin told the man she wanted the job but claimed not to have a vehicle, police said, and the man offered to sell her a 2003 Hyundai for $1,500.
“Upon arriving ‘Tyler’ told (the victim) that she had money to purchase the vehicle but requested to take the vehicle for a test drive before purchasing it,” police said.
Martin drove off without paying for the vehicle and never returned it, police said.
Around the same time, police said, they received reports of a woman stealing liquor at two Albertsons stores. Police compared surveillance photos and concluded the suspect was Martin. They also noticed that the suspect was wearing a Clark County Detention Center electronic monitoring bracelet around her ankle and that she was driving a vehicle with a handicap license plate.
Police said they learned the vehicle was reported stolen from the senior. When interviewed, Martin claimed the man sold her the vehicle for $500, but she could produce no paperwork for the transaction, police said.
Martin was on house arrest for a prior criminal case, police said.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.