Boise woman convicted of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A jury has found a Boise woman guilty of abusing an elderly couple she worked for as a caregiver.

Sherri L. Watring, 53, was arrested in January and charged with two counts of abuse and neglect of vulnerable adult and one count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult. An Ada County jury convicted her of all the charges on Wednesday after a three-day trial.

Prosecutors said she worked as a caregiver for an elderly couple between 2016 and 2018, using her power of attorney to take money from the couple and denying the elderly woman adequate medical treatment and nutrition.

Prosecutors also said that when the elderly man died in Feb. 2018, Watring had him cremated and didn't tell his family about it. They say when she fired from the job weeks later, she took the ashes with her, spread them in a location unknown to the family and later turned the empty urn over to police.

The elderly woman died while under hospice care in June of 2018.

Watring is scheduled to sentenced on March 6. She faces a maximum of up to 10 years in prison for each abuse charge.