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Woman gets prison for stealing from elderly woman
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A lesson Judge R. Scott Krichbaum said he learned the hard way was the reason he sentenced a woman to nine months in prison for stealing three rings in May from an 88-year-old woman she was caring for.
The judge in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday said as a defense attorney, he learned to get the money from clients before he represented them, because too often when their case was over, any prearranged fee was soon forgotten – and he would never see a dime.
He said the same rule applied to Kamala Belton, 23, of Monroe Street in Campbell, who pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony-theft charge in June.
At the time of her plea, the judge said he told Belton if she would make restitution by the time of Tuesday’s sentencing, he would give her probation even though prosecutors wanted a prison sentence.
But Belton did not pay any money to the victim. The judge said he did not believe her promises that she would make good on the money as early as this week, because he said if the restitution is not paid by the sentencing, chances are it will not get paid.
“Unless they pay up front, you’ll never see it,” Judge Krichbaum said.
Belton was working for a home-care company when she took the rings in May. Three of them were melted down, and a fourth was returned to the family.
The son of the elderly woman, Andrew Sarna, told Judge Krichbaum one of the rings taken was his mother’s engagement ring, and another was her birthstone. Sarna said he and his family forgive Belton and feel sorry for her and her family.
The value of the rings cannot be imagined, Sarna said, more for sentimental reasons.
“These items are irreplaceable. They’re heirlooms. They’re gone. Our family forgives her, but I don’t think she understands the ramifications of what she’s done.”
Belton’s attorney, Katherine Rudzik, asked for probation. She said her client has no criminal record and got another job to help pay the victims back. Rudzik said Belton has two young children she is caring for, and that she can have a substantial amount of the restitution paid on Friday.
But Judge Krichbaum said that was not good enough. He said she needed to have it by the day she was sentenced and not only did she not have the full amount, she made no effort to make any payments. He said having restitution due on the day of sentencing is a rule he is not willing to break.
Belton said she ran into some bad luck because her car recently was stolen and she had to pay several hundred dollars in impound fees to get it back. She said she needed the car to go to her job so she could make money to pay restitution and support her children.
She also apologized to the victims.
“I know I hurt her family and my family,” Belton said. “I don’t know why I did it. I was so stupid.”