FORT WALTON BEACH — The residential services director at Horizons of Okaloosa County has been arrested for stealing from 24 disabled residential group home clients, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
Linda Faye Walker-Hall, 64, of Navarre, turned herself in Thursday. She was charged with exploiting elderly/disabled adults and grand theft.
In April, Horizons’ staff questioned Walker-Hall about discrepancies in monthly transaction reports for clients’ personal allowance funds, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
The state Department of Children and Families and the Sheriff's Office was contacted to investigate further.
Investigators found that Walker-Hall received 16 checks totaling $43,677.16 from January 2012 and April 2013. About $22,804.16 of that amount was unaccounted for, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Each month, Walker-Hall received one check containing personal allowance money for all 24 clients, according to her arrest report. She was supposed to cash the check and give the money to group home managers to use when clients needed money for medical co-pays, outings, toiletries or other items.
The funds Walker-Hall listed in monthly spending reports did not match the amount group home managers received, according to her arrest report.
A former group home manager told deputies she used her personal money to buy clients items because Walker-Hall told her no funds were available, the arrest report stated.
Submitted monthly spending reports were not initialed by the group home managers, nor did the reports have receipts attached to identify what items had been purchased by clients, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Horizons’ staff found the properly initialed forms in Walker-Hall’s shred box, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“The spending reports showed that the clients were not receiving the amount Walker-Hall was documenting that she provided to the group home managers,” her arrest report said.
Walker-Hall also kept a cash bag with $2,900 at her home instead of in the organization’s safe as per Horizons’ policy, the arrest report stated.
Walker-Hall was being held in the Okaloosa County Jail on Thursday on $25,000 bond.
Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado can be reached at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.
