Woman Accused of Robbing Elderly Neighbor

Marian Church is 81 years old and is often called the neighborhood Ma'ama. Some people she's helped raise now take care of her but one of them took care of her checkbook instead.

Church's bank account is slowly getting back to normal after she says Tammy Land, a neighbor for 15 years stole her checks and nearly robbed her blind.

"She betrayed me, She was my friend and I trusted her for many years," says Marian Church.

Church says Land had been helping her recover from a hospital visit for several months bringing her food and checking her mail. She had access to everything in her home.

On Thanksgiving Church says her son checked her finances and noticed there was something wrong.

"We went to the bank and found a lot of checks I didn't write...Apparently she'd gone through my mail and steamed it open," says Church.

Regions bank found nearly 8 thousand dollars worth of purchases Land had made in her name.

"There had been many purchases from Food Lion, some from Wal-Mart, Mr. Zips buying Murphy's Oil and 220 cookbooks," says Church.

The Bradley County Sheriff's Department arrested Land who admitted to her guilt. She is charged with 34 counts of forgery and one count of theft.

Sheriff's Department spokesperson Bob Gault says Church's story is not uncommon.

"In this case make sure it is someone you trust so they don't take everything," says Gault.

Church says she never saw it coming. Regions Bank is slowly returning Church's stolen money...but the family is looking into whether more forged checks were written before this incident.