Stealing From Grandparents Sends Sonora Woman To Prison

Sonora, CA – A Sonora woman who was called in to aid her grandparents after surgery, ended up helping herself to their cash and now heads to prison.

31-year-old Shawna Jourdan was sentenced to 7 years and 4 months in prison after being convicted of felony charges for dissuading a witness, theft from an elder, six counts of identity theft and failing to appear in court.

Elder Abuse Prosecutor for Tuolumne County Eric Hovatter states that Jourdan moved to her grandparents’ in 2015 to help with her grandmother’s recovery from surgery.  They gave her their debit card to buy needed items. However, during each purchase she got large amounts of cash back, which she pocketed. In a month period she rang up $21,000 from her grandparent’s account.

Originally, Jourdan faced up to 28 years prison, but she struck a deal with prosecutors for the lesser sentence. It was based on her prior minimal criminal history and the fact that this is a strike conviction, meaning she will face a harsher sentence if she were to commit another felony crime.