Harrison County Clerk arrested, and charged for theft and fraud against an elderly woman
BETHANY, MO. (KQTV) -- The Harrison County Clerk, Lee Ann M. Miles, has been arrested and charged after allegedly stealing more than $125,000 from an elderly woman.
According to the probable cause statement, in late 2019, a woman over 60 years old hired Miles, 46, to oversee the paying of bills such as rent, lawn care, house cleaning, medical and taxes, in addition to other tasks.
For the services, the victim agreed to pay Miles $300 per month.
According to the statement, in June 2026 the victim noticed discrepancies with her accounts; she requested her full bank account statements all the way back to 2019.
The victim noticed her accounts were very low, and she observed over 600 transfers to Miles' checking account.
Investigators subpoenaed both the victim's records and Miles'. After reviewing them, they noted transfers to Miles' account for payments made to Ford Motor Credit and a storage unit, which the victim said were not hers. There were similar charges for items like a Walt Disney World trip.
Detectives noted that transfers were all made with familiar amounts correlating to the victim's bill payments and other costs. However, sometimes those transfers were made multiple times a month and even multiple times a day.
According to the statement, the victim also received a notice that her quarterly taxes had not been paid, despite Miles telling her she had.
Miles was charged with one count of stealing ($25,000 or more) and one count of financial exploitation of an elderly/disabled person.
When questioned by police, Miles claimed she originally requested $25 per day for her services, but the victim said they couldn't afford that amount and instead offered $300 per month. Miles told police she never had a written agreement with the victim, and the additional transfers were "backpay" for what the victim owed and that she was "about caught up." She admitted that she didn't inform the victim of the increase.
Miles also admitted that the victim had given her a 1099 form for tax purposes each year. The form outlined her compensation at $300 per month, further indicating that the increase was unknown.
During questioning, Miles indicated that she estimated from memory the victim owed her $180,000. Miles cited that her computer had crashed, which contained the Excel spreadsheet detailing what she was owed.
When informed that her transactions totaled to over $200,000, Miles claimed she may have made an error in her estimations.
Miles is currently being held at the Daviess/DeKalb Regional Jail without bond.
