On Jan. 11 James Kline, 62, was convicted of financial elder abuse and grand theft.

In the summer of 2015, Kline, a handyman, did various home repairs for an elderly victim, then age 87. He went with the victim to her credit union to assist her in obtaining an ATM card. Over a period of several weeks, he unlawfully withdrew over $2000 using the ATM card he helped the victim obtain. The victim’s son, who was monitoring his mother’s accounts, notified the credit union of these abnormal withdrawals. The credit union then notified the Pacific Grove Police Department of this suspicious activity.

Sgt Rachel Beuttler of the PGPD began investigation into the thefts which ultimately resulted in the conviction.

Kline is scheduled for sentencing on February 24, 2017 before Judge Pamela Butler and faces a maximum of 4 years in local jail pursuant to realignment.