Amazon Alexa helps catch man stealing credit cards, cash from assisted living resident, police say

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Police said an Amazon Alexa helped catch a man accused of stealing from at least three different elderly residents of Ormond Beach assisted living facilities.

Police said the device detected a man’s presence inside a room at Brookdale Assisted Living Facility on Dec. 22 and alerted the resident’s family. The man’s grandson responded to the facility, and police said the man, identified as Russell Bannister, was still inside the room.

“I was there to protect my grandfather, and that was my sole duty,” the man’s grandson said.

Investigators said Bannister ran away from the scene after being confronted but was quickly stopped by police and arrested.

Brookdale Assisted Living Facility released the follow statement in response to the incident:

“First and foremost, the safety and wellbeing of our residents is primary priority and we are grateful that police responded to the situation and assisted us in handling this unusual incident. It’s important to note, that in response to the situation, associates have been re-trained on the Visitor/Guest policy. We will continue to make decisions about this situation, keeping our residents as a top priority. We appreciate law enforcement’s response to the situation and we will refer to officials for details about their findings as we continue to cooperate with them as needed.”

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Bannister told detectives he in the man’s room helping him with his cat. But deputies said they don’t believe that story.

“He had criminal intent all along,” Officer Keith Walker said.

Police said Bannister entered the room without permission and stole the resident’s cash and credit cards. During the investigation, officers said they identified two additional assisted living residents in Ormond Beach who were victimized by Bannister.

All three of the residents were age 90 or older, police said.

Investigators said they believe Bannister may have also targeted residents at different assisted living facilities in Volusia County.

“We are asking that family members please reach out to any loved ones who are staying in assisted living facilities in the area to ensure they have not been victimized by Bannister,” Ormond Beach police said in a news release.

Anyone who suspects they or a family member may have been targeted by Bannister is asked to contact Sgt. Tom Larsen at 386-676-3520 or tom.larsen@ormondbeach.org

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