PORT ANGELES — A double-jeopardy claim caused the sentencing of a former assisted living center owner who stole from a patient with dementia to be rescheduled Thursday to Jan. 25.
Rhonda Goudie, who operated Olympic RN Homecare in Port Angeles, was convicted of two counts of first-degree theft and one count of money laundering in October for having tenant Truman Curry write her multiple rent checks during the same month.
Her attorney, Karen Unger, filed a motion Dec. 16 to overturn the money laundering conviction, saying that it causes Goudie to be punished twice for the same crime.
The sentencing hearing in Clallam County Superior Court was reset to give the county Prosecuting Attorney’s Office more time to respond to the motion, Unger said.
The hearing has been rescheduled three times.
With a sentencing enhancement for violating a position of trust, Goudie could be sentenced beyond the “standard range” of three to six months for the crimes.
The standard range could be reduced if the money laundering conviction is overturned.
Curry’s rent was $3,500 a month, and Judge Ken Williams found Goudie guilty of billing Curry twice when he had already paid rent for the month.
Goudie had waived her right to a jury trial.
Port Angeles police said Curry had made six overpayments totaling $21,000 from January through May 2009.
Williams, citing insufficient evidence, acquitted Goudie on four other counts of first-degree theft.
The state Department of Social and Health Services, which notified police of the overpayments, closed Olympic RN Homecare in June 2009.
The money was returned to Curry.
He died before the case was brought to trial.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.