Hinsdale nursing assistant charged with theft

A former nursing assistant accused of stealing a credit card from an elderly dementia patient was released from DuPage County jail Thursday after being charged with aggravated identity theft.

Myra Gordon, 33, of the 16W600 block of Mockingbird Lane in Willowbrook, took the card from a patient at Manor Care Health Services in Hinsdale in September and used it to make $585 in purchases, authorities said. She also stole jewelry from residents of the long-term facility, said Assistant State’s Attorney Romas Mockaitis.

“What Ms. Gordon is accused of doing is absolutely disgraceful and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said. “Individuals with disabilities — particularly if they are elderly — rely on others for their day-to-day living. They place their complete trust in those who are charged with their care. The fact that someone could betray that trust and take advantage of another human being when they are at their most vulnerable is appalling.”

Berlin credited Manor Care for cooperating in the investigation and bringing the case to prosecutors’ attention.

In court Thursday, Judge Thomas Else set Gordon’s bail at $5,000. She posted a $500 bond and was released with a Dec. 3 court date.

If convicted, she could face up to seven years in prison.