Vandalia woman accused of stealing $48K from relative

A Vandalia woman is accused of stealing more than $48,000 from an elderly relative in Miami County.

A Miami County Grand Jury indicted Lisa A. Eisele, 56, in March on a felony count of theft involving the elderly. The charge, a second-degree felony, alleges she knowingly stole from the woman between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2017. Prosecutors said $48,621 allegedly was taken.

Eisele pleaded not guilty Monday in county Common Pleas Court.

Judge Jeannine Pratt continued her release on a recognizance bond set earlier in the Municipal Court. The judge added conditions to the bond that include Eisele have no contact with the alleged victim, report to the pretrial services office weekly and not leave the state. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for April 24.

A report filed with Miami County sheriff's department said the victim reported in November that she recently learned someone had made fraudulent charges on her credit card for possibly a year or more.

Eisele was listed as a suspect because she had access to the woman's credit card with the use restricted to buying groceries and medicine for the elderly woman. The victim contacted the credit card company when she stopped getting statements in the mail and found the account discrepancies.

The charge carries a potential prison term of two to eight years.