Former caretaker accused of spending more than $4,200 of clients’ money on personal items

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman who was described as a hired caretaker for a disabled person in Boone County has been charged with two felonies after she allegedly stole money from the patient’s debit account.

Cassandra Cook, 34, of Columbia, was charged on Wednesday with stealing more than $750 and fraudulently using a debit card. She is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $10,000 bond. A court appearance was held on Wednesday.

The probable cause statement claims the victim on March 16 gave police bank statements from Sept. 3, 2025-March 13, 2026, that showed fraudulent purchases from Victoria’s Secret, DoorDash, TikTok Shop, Doug Perry Towing, Jonesboro Jail ATM and several Walmart and ATM withdrawals.

The victim allegedly allowed Cook to use his debit card so he could have groceries and other items, but did not allow her to use it for herself, the statement says. The victim told police he would “often lose his card at which point Cook offered to hold onto it for him so he would not lose it, which he agreed to,” court documents say.

The victim claimed he never ordered from DoorDash and account information provided by DoorDash allegedly showed an account registered to Cook had the victim’s debit card listed with it, the statement says.

Cook allegedly spent $4,245.39 of the victim’s money while working for Providence Homecare, the statement indicates.