2 accused of stealing more than $36K from victims with mental health issues

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (WPMT) -- A man and woman from Elizabethtown have been charged after police say they stole more than $36,000 from two people with mental health issues, according to Elizabethtown Police.

Carol A. Witmer, 52, and Michael E. Dunk, 53, both of Elizabethtown, were charged after an investigation that began when police serving a search warrant on an unrelated case found financial documents that showed Dunk was a representative payee for two victims suffering from mental health issues, police say.

Due to their mental health status and “the actions of Michael Dunk and Carol Witmer,” police say, the victims could not account for where any of their money had been going since Dunk became assigned as their representative payee.

Police say Dunk and Witmer gained access as representative payee for the victims and withdrew funds for their own personal use, from at least August 2017 to March 1 of this year. The total amount taken was $36,284.38, police allege.

Dunk is currently incarcerated at Lancaster County Prison on $20,000 bail, according to police. Witmer is still at large.