Woman previously charged with elder abuse arrested again

BEAUFORT - A Carteret County woman charged three months ago in an alleged elder abuse case has been arrested a second time for another offense against the same person.

Jennifer Nesta Hodges, 55, was arrested Friday by Beaufort Police Department and charged with felony exploitation of the elderly. She is accused of cashing a $1,200 check belonging to the 80-year-old female, Chief Steve Lewis said via a news release.

Hodges was working at the time as the live-in caretaker for the woman.

Hodges was initially arrested in Dec. 30 and charged with felony abuse of the disabled / elderly with injury and simple possession of a Schedule II controlled substance for the possession of Darvocet pills for which she did not have a prescription.

She was accused at that time of leaving the victim laying on the floor of the bathroom in her own feces for more than an hour. The victim had fallen trying to get to the bathroom on her own because Hodges had not come to assist her, police said.

Detective Phillip Lovoy initiated the second investigation after the woman's son contacted police about the possible check fraud. The son, Robert Hazlewood of Delaware, was contacted by Sound Bank about someone trying to cash his mother's check, police said.

The investigation revealed that Hodges was the suspect and after the failed attempt to cash the check at Sound Bank, she successfully cashed it at another bank.

The check was cashed on Nov. 26.