By Patric Hedlund

Charges filed in Kern County Superior Court in May for theft or embezzlement from an elder or dependent adult were dismissed Wednesday, Sept. 7 against Renee Elise Gettler, 51 (known as Renee Laudenberg in the Mountain Communities).

From April 11, 2010 to the end of August 2010, Gettler served as an in-home caretaker for longtime Pine Mountain resident Mary Pillow, who celebrated her 100th birthday this spring.

Charges were filed against Gettler as a result of her alleged actions after securing an exclusive power of attorney over the elder’s legal affairs, which allowed her to take control of Pillow’s bank accounts and credit cards. That power was rescinded at the end of August.

Michelle Throckmorton and Toby Brault—part of a circle of neighbors who now share tasks to assist Pillow in her goal to continue living independently— said Deputy District Attorney Chris Staiger was critical of Gettler at the hearing. In an interview, Staiger said, “For awhile Ms. Gettler also managed to have herself made the sole beneficiary of Mrs. Pillow’s estate. This is scary….”

Staiger explained that “an open-ended compensation clause in her power of attorney allowed [Gettler] to pay herself in a manner, time and means that she deemed appropriate, which made it hard [for us] to proceed criminally. She admitted she went on a shopping spree when she knew she was to be fired.” Staiger said he believes Gettler violated her fiscal responsibilities to Mary Pillow: “From a criminal standpoint she had the legal authority to do what she did. Did she have the moral authority? I doubt that. At the very least she is guilty of a breach of fiduciary duty.”

This is part of the September 16, 2011 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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