www.hoodrivernews.com
Hood River News, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
A5
Caregiver accused of stealing patient’s money over a period of years
By BEN MITCHELL
Laney was originally hired
as an in-home caregiver for
the victim more than 10
years ago, but was fired by
“the victim, with the assis-
tance of DHS (Department of
Human Services) in January
of last year.”
Rasmussen did not offer
exact details in court as to
how the alleged thefts oc-
curred, but made mention of
issues with credit cards.
“The victimized (is) a very
vulnerable person; the vic-
tim is a quadriplegic. She
can’t even move anything
now but her mouth, but she
is mentally aware and she is
very certain she did not au-
thorize Kati Laney to take
out these multiple credit
cards,” she said. “We’re still
conducting ongoing investi-
gations with numerous bank
accounts. We’re still getting
records; this investigation
has been going on for a year.”
Rasmussen added that al-
though charges only detail
alleged thefts that occurred
from 2011 to 2014, “the con-
duct so far, in relationship to
the victim, stretches back at
least 10 years, but because of
nor (Inslee) was not in a po-
sition to respond to those re-
ports, and that will b contin-
ue to be a challenge of the
commission to move for-
ward,” Nichols said.
In January Sen. John Huff-
man of The Dalles and a
Washington counterpart an-
nounced that they would
jointly propose legislation in
Salem and Olympia to set up
a bi-state task force to advice
on future funding of the
Gorge Commission.
Asked about the timing of
his resignation given: the
funding situation and the
pending task force legisla-
tion, Nichols said, “it’s just
coincidental. I’ve been work-
ing with the Ruckelshaus
Center and for the last three
years, and the Ruckelshaus
Center has been working on
the assistant director posi-
tion for a couple of years and
I initially expressed interest
in it several months ago be-
fore we knew the outcome of
the budget discussions.
“I sincerely hope the states
are able to come together in
terms for their agreement to
the compact and help that
compact work for an agency
that is absolutely vital.”
Nichols described his
work with the Commission
and its staff as a unique priv-
ilege, saying “I am very
proud of what we’ve accom-
plished over the last three
years and I am confident in
our staff and leadership’s
ability to work collaborative-
ly with Gorge communities,
agency partners, Columbia
River Treaty tribes, the
states, local industry and the
public.”
“T he Nor thwest f aces
many complex and growing
challenges. The Columbia
River Gorge is more than
any one person’s or organiza-
tion’s vision – it takes all of
us working together to pro-
tect the Gorge and prepare
our communities for the fu-
ture” said Nichols, who
holds a degree in Economics
and a Master’s in Urban and
Regional Planning. Nichols
plans to spend some time
with his family and wrap-
ping up work on a law degree
in environmental and natur-
al resources during the tran-
sition. He will remain avail-
able as needed while the
Commission selects a re-
placement.
Chamberain said Nichols
has helped the Commission
work better together inter-
nally and reached out to ex-
ternal partners. He and a
five-member staff have stabi-
lized basic funding for the
agency, solved some long-
standing disputes, strength-
ened regional relations, ad-
dressed recreation and trans-
portation concerns, and en-
tered a first-ever agreement
with Klickitat County.
The Commission remains
focused on working well to-
gether and with the Gorge
community. In recent years,
the Commission has in-
creased capacity for collabo-
rative regional planning and
bi-state partnership. The
Commission is on a path to
fill its role as a visionary re-
gional planning agency. That
role became clear in the
Commission’s recent work
with Northwest universities,
through an assessment that
established for the first time
what it will take to protect
and enhance a truly National
Scenic Area and support a vi-
brant, sustainable regional
economy.
Before coming to the
Gorge Commission Nichols
has served for six years as
the Community Services Di-
vision manager for the De-
partment of Land Conserva-
tion and Development, over-
seeing a staff of 14 in seven
regional offices and helping
local governments imple-
ment Oregon’s statewide
planning program.
News staff writer
A Hood River caregiver is
facing multiple felony and
misdemeanor charges after
allegedly stealing well over
$10,000 from a female patient
of hers over a period of three
years.
Kati Rai Laney, 44, was in-
dicted in Hood River County
Circuit Court last week on 13
charges, nine of which are
felonies, including four
counts of theft in the first de-
gree, four counts of criminal
mistreatment in the first de-
gree, and one count of aggra -
vated theft in the first de-
gree. She is also facing four
counts of misapplication of
entrusted property, a misde-
meanor.
According to testimony
given by Deputy District At-
torney Carrie Rasmussen,
G ORGE
Continued from Page A1
In 2014 the University of
Washington and Portland
State University did an ad-
ministrative assessment of
the Gorge Commission at the
behest of governors and the
Washington Office of Finan-
cial Management. The study
said that the Gorge Commis-
sion had only 25 percent of
the resources needed to do
its job. Oregon Gov. John
Kitzhaber (who resigns effec-
tive Feb. 18) responded by in-
creasing the commission’s
budget by 89 percent, but
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
committed to only a 7 per-
cent increase in his proposed
budget.
Kitzhaber’s
budg et
bumped Oregon’s $891,000
share of the bi-state agency’s
budget up to over $1.6 mil-
lion. Nichols noted it was “a
step in the right direction,”
but was “still only half of
what we need.” “One of the
biggest challenges and has
been, building relationships
and trying to get the two
states to work together and
make the sufficient invest-
ment in the commission and
its role in the Scenic Area,
and it is certainly a chal-
lenge,” Nichols said Monday
Nichols said the Gorge
Commission needs $2 mil-
lion a year from each state
for the commission to do its
work, and help the region
prepare for long-term protec-
tion of the Gorge resources
and enhancement of a vi-
brant and sustainable econo-
my. “I think it’s a reasonable
investment,” he said. By law,
the funding from each state
must be equal, even if that
means accepting less than is
offered from the State of Ore-
gon.
“Unfortunately the gover-
Kati Rai Laney
PIPPA
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Ado
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Pet
Your Business Here
the statute of limitations,
there are some things that
we are never going to be able
to reach back and get.”
Although they weren’t in-
cluded in the list of charges,
Rasmussen noted that she
was looking into additional
charges regarding changes
to the victim’s life insurance
policies allegedly made by
Laney.
“One of the things that is
quite alarming to me that I
think speaks to a potential
danger to the victim is three
very large life insurance
policies that in recent years
— and this could be an iden-
tity theft case we’re looking
at — were all converted to
make Kati Laney the benefi-
ciary,” she explained. Ras-
mussen noted that “it always
sends up red flags when we
see one insurance policy
after another on someone’s
life when their heath is de-
clining, cutting out their
families, to the benefit of a
caregiver.”
Rasmussen stated that she
believed these were policies
that the victim “never could
have signed because she
can’t move her hand.” She
added that the Veterans Af-
Small Business Showcase
returns March 13 to a new lo-
cation – Butler Bank Build-
ing, 301 Oak St.
Businesses interested in
renting a booth at the event
($100 fee) may register at the
Hood River Chamber of
Commerce website, hoodriv-
er.org.
At Small Business Show-
case, attendees of the free
event meet business owners
and employees and learn
about goods and services
available in the Gorge.
Steffen Lunding and Clau-
dia Lane of Red Tail Hold-
ings had renovated the build-
ing and operated it as 301
Gallery in 2012-13.
The building was last used
for the Holiday Pop-Up mar-
ket in November-December
2014.
The showcase will be the
first public event at Butler
Bank
Building
since
Stephanie Laur and Union
Event Co. assumed manage-
ment in January. The compa-
ny (unioneventco.com) pro-
vides event planning at But-
ler Bank as well as custom lo-
cations.
Butler Bank Building, in
the 1927 building that for-
merly served as city hall
until 2010, is available for
rent for parties, receptions,
dinners, and other events.
THE BUTLER BANK building
will host the Small Business
Showcase, which returns Friday,
March 13.
C HARGE
commercial flight down to
the San Francisco Airport
and picked up Nichols on
Thursday, who was previous-
ly housed at the San Mateo
County Jail. English de-
clined to provide details on
how law enforcement offi-
cers in California were able
to find Nichols.
Hood River County Deputy
District Attor ney Carrie
Rasmussen’s office was con-
tacted for additional infor-
mation, but Rasmussen was
not able to be reached direct-
ly.
Nichols was arraigned at
the Hood River County Cour-
thouse late Friday morning,
but no additional informa-
tion was provided.
He is currently on a no-
bail hold and faces a mini-
mum sentence of 25 years in
prison, with a maximum sen-
tence of life. Nichols is next
scheduled to appear March 3
at 11 a.m.
Continued from Page A1
in April 2014 — 10 months be-
fore his actual arrest this
week. The indictment con-
tains little infor mation
about the crime, other than
the name of the victim and
the date of the incident.
English said deputies Kyle
Cozad and Jesse Flem took a
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Conor Sullivan. He argued
that bail should be reduced
as his client had “no crimi-
nal history, no traffic history,
and I don’t believe even any
parking tickets.” He said
Laney was a “life-long resi-
dent of Hood River” with a
husband and three children
as well as being a “4-H
leader” and involved with
her daughter’s softball team.
Sullivan also noted that
Laney had been a CNA since
the age of 18.
Laney bailed out of the
Northern Oregon Regional
Correctional Facility on Fri-
day, with conditions of her
release including no contact
with the elderly or disabled
in a caregiving capacity and
no possession of any debit or
credit cards that are not in
her name.
Rasmussen’s office was
contacted for more informa-
tion on the case, but Ras-
mussen did not respond by
press time.
The next court appearance
for Laney is set for March
30th. The most serious of the
charges levied against Laney
could result in up to a 10-year
prison sentence.
Small Business Showcase March 13
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fairs Office had been made
aware of the case.
It was mentioned that
Laney is currently employed
at a caregiving facility, but
the name of the facility was
not given in court. According
to a Facebook page for Laney,
she has been employed as a
“CNA” or “certified nurse’s
assistant” at Providence
Brookside Manor in Hood
River 2006.
Susan Frost, public affairs
manager for Providence
Hood River Memorial Hospi-
tal, confirmed that Laney
had been an employee of
Brookside Manor and was
still employed as of Tuesday
mor ning. She would not
comment on whether there
would be any sort of discipli-
nary action levied against
Laney and would not com-
ment further on the alleged
incident due to the “ongoing
investigation.”
Bail for Laney was origi-
nally set at $15,000, then
raised to $30,000 by Judge
John A. Olson per Ras-
mussen’s request. Bail was
dropped to $4,000 during a
subsequent court appear-
ance after a request was
made by Laney’s attorney,
Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Calm wind becoming west 5
to 7 mph in the morning.
Actual High / Low
AGRIMET HOOD RIVER OR
Lat: 45.6842 Long: -121.5181 Elev: 510
http://uspest.org
Feb
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48/43
57/43
54/36
60/37
56/34
61/42
59/33
Updated Monday, Feb. 16
at 9:00 a.m. PST
Data from www.weather.com
HOOD RIVER
3140 W. CASCADE •541-386-1123