3 charged in kidnapping of patient from Novato health care facility
Three charged with kidnapping man from Novato nursing facility
A 60-year-old man was kidnapped from his skilled nursing facility in Novato by group of people he knows, according to police.
NOVATO, Calif. - Three suspects have been arrested and charged with kidnapping a patient from a Novato health care facility, police said.
Kidnapping plot
What we know:
Officers received a report last Saturday around 11 a.m. that three people entered the back of the facility and rolled the victim out in a wheelchair, said Novato police Lt. Alan Bates.
"The suspects entered the facility through a back door, and they did so without checking in with staff," Bates said. "They then wheeled the patient out the back door and into the parking lot and loaded him into a vehicle."
KTVU has learned from Marin County court records that the victim was Dean Burkes, 60, and that the incident happened at Novato Healthcare Center, which bills itself as Marin County's premier skilled nursing facility.
The suspects fled in a Honda CR-V, but Marin County sheriff's deputies spotted the vehicle on Highway 101 in Sausalito and pulled it over. The victim was found inside and taken to a hospital as a precaution.
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Motivated by financial gain
What they're saying:
Arrested was the driver, Michael Edward Roberts, 48, who also allegedly attacked a nurse during the kidnapping.
Also taken into custody were Paula Burkes, 56, a relative of the victim, and Laura Boyle, 60.
All three have been charged by prosecutors with burglary, kidnapping, conspiracy and false imprisonment of an elder or dependent adult, which are felonies.
KTVU has learned Boyle's 38-year-old daughter has also been implicated in the case, but she has not been charged.
The four are all from Orange County in Southern California.
The victim was considered to be "at risk" and was under conservatorship, in which a judge had appointed someone to manage his affairs.
"The suspects in this case are known to the patient, to our victim, but they are not the rightful conservators," Bates said.
Police say the defendants tried to fraudulently obtain conservatorship for financial gain by kidnapping the victim.
"It's important to note that conservatorships are legally binding civil actions and that trying to circumvent that is inappropriate and potentially illegal," Bates said.
Authorities say the victim was particularly vulnerable because of his condition, which included cognitive disabilities.
"The fact that a conservatorship was in place tends to lead most people to understand what the patient's state was," Bates said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: Novato Police Department