Santee Woman Falls Victim To Elder Abuse

SANTEE, Calif. -- Santee resident Jessie Kotula is three months shy of her 100th birthday -- and she’s steaming mad.

“She stole my jewelry and completely wrecked my whole house,” said Kotula.

Kotula is angry with Deborah Lovett -- a woman she thought was a friend.

“She was a friend. I thought of her as much as my sister,” said Kotula.

Not after Kotula suffered a fall and went to a convalescent hospital for a few months.

When she came home, she found things missing.

“She threw my clothes out. She took bedspreads and put them in the trash,” said Kotula.

There was new carpeting, a mattress, and a dishwasher -- all paid for out of Kotula’s account.

Kotula said, “I washed dishes for 99 years, why do I need a dishwasher now?”

The thinking is Lovett was renovating Jessie's home with plans to move in herself, after her friend was gone.

Kotula said, “She was my so-called friend. How could a dear friend turn out like that?”

The worst of it was the disappearance of her jewelry, including two diamond rings.

“We were married 50 years and he gave it. I said, ‘Honey, we'll never get that paid for.’ He said, ‘You're worth every cent.’ I didn’t care if he paid several thousand,” said Kotula.

And there was her husband's gold pocket watch, which she promised to her oldest grandson when he graduated from college.

Kotula said, “He graduated, but I couldn't part with the watch.”

Sheriff's Detective Deborah Boyd recovered the missing keepsakes and Jesse had tears in her eyes when they were returned on Thursday.

“In this job, we don't recover jewelry often. When it’s something so sentimental and to recover a diamond ring, that reaction makes the job worthwhile,” said Boyd.

Lovett faces trial on charges of elder abuse, burglary, forgery, and possession of stolen property.

“Oh, I can't wait to get her behind bars forever,” said Kotula.

Boyd may attend Jessie's 100th birthday in October, but don't look for Lovett.

The Sheriff’s Department has an entire unit devoted to elder abuse. If you have something to report call the department at 858-974-2322.