64-year-old man admits to stealing $1.35 million from his mother

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A Cherokee County man was sentenced to years in prison after he stole more than a million dollars from his mother.

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On Monday, the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office announced the non-negotiated guilty plea for 64-year-old Thomas Glenn North III.

During the hearing on Sept. 26, North admitted to one count of neglect to a disabled, adult, or elderly person, one count of exploitation and intimidation of a disabled, adult, or elderly person, and 35 counts of theft by taking.

The charges stem from a Woodstock police investigation. According to the DA’s office, a family member learned that North’s mother’s bank account was emptied and her assisted living facility was putting her out due to a default on rent.

“At a vulnerable time in her life, the victim, in this case, trusted her son to serve as power of attorney, with the expectation that he would safeguard her finances and well-being,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Hines, of the Special Victims Unit, Office of the District Attorney.

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The victim’s daughter shared a statement via video conferencing during the plea hearing. The DA’s office said, the daughter described her mother’s feelings of betrayal and said that North’s greed has negatively impacted her physical and emotional health.

North was sentenced to 40 years with the first 10 years to be served in confinement and the balance to serve on probation. He was also ordered to pay back the entire sum he stole from his mother, at a rate of $50,000 per year. He is also forbidden to contact his mother or any family member.

“...This defendant brazenly withdrew thousands of dollars on a regular basis until his mother was left penniless and no longer able to support herself. A lifetime of savings was wiped out in three years,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said.

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