Caregiver accused of stealing from Raleigh family

Raleigh, N.C. — A caregiver for a member of a Raleigh family with deep political and civic connections to the capital city was charged Thursday with stealing more than $70,000.

According to arrest warrants, Shannon Adrienne Poole, 39, of 307 Heck St., allegedly cashed numerous checks made out to Mary Ann Broughton, who is the 84-year-old daughter-in-law of former North Carolina governor and U.S. Sen. Joseph Melville Broughton.

Poole also purchased a $600 laptop from Costco with the victim's American Express card, the warrants stated.

The family had no comment Thursday about the case.

The charges, three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, are in addition to 12 counts of forgery and one count of larceny filed against Poole on July 30.

She was in the Wake County Jail on Thursday morning under a $75,000 bond.

Raleigh police say crimes like this happen all too often and that perpetrators often gain the trust and confidence of their victims.

"This isn't the first time it's happened, and unfortunately, it's not the last," police spokesman Jim Sughrue said.

Sughrue recommends doing background checks and checking references on potential caregivers and continuing to monitor them and to know what kind of access they have to personal information and finances.

Joseph Melville Broughton was North Carolina's governor from 1941 to 1945 and was a U.S. senator from 1948 until his death in 1949. Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh is named for his uncle.