Everett police probe land sale flagged by state

EVERETT — An Everett assisted-living home got into trouble with the state earlier this year because of a land deal between a resident and the home administrator.

The administrator and her husband bought property from a person in her care for $5,750. The appraised value was $81,593, according to a report by the state Department of Social and Health Services. The resident suffers from mental health issues and a neurological disorder.

Management at Everett Plaza, 2204 12th St., disagrees with the state’s findings. An appeal hearing is scheduled in January.

The state asked Everett police to investigate. In their report, officers wrote that there was “no reason to believe (the sale) to be under duress or exploitative in nature.”

The police say documents they reviewed show the property changed hands for $10,013, almost double the price reported by DSHS.

The administrator, 53, has no criminal history. A state Department of Health database also shows no history of complaints against her license as a registered nursing assistant.

The home that was sold was in poor condition, and the purchase helped the resident get out from under her debt, said Joe Kilkelly, owner of the CarePartners Management Group, which includes Everett Plaza.

Kilkelly gave The Herald documents showing the property in the Lost Lake area of Camano Island was in need of repairs in excess of $70,000.

The resident also told DSHS that she asked the administrator to buy the house, documents show. The administrator checked with her bosses before the purchase.

The allegations of wrongdoing are simply false, the administrator wrote in a Dec. 2 letter to the state.

However, the DSHS investigation says Everett Plaza failed to protect its residents from potential financial exploitation. DSHS reported the incident as a possible case of fraud, Everett police spokesman Aaron Snell said.

“A report was taken by our department and based on the findings, DSHS will continue the investigation internally,” Snell said. “If applicable, we will review their results to determine if any criminal action was taken.”

The Herald is not naming the administrator because she has not been charged with a crime. She is still employed at the home. The resident no longer lives there.

Everett Plaza has been fined by the state at least three times since 2011 for safety findings. One 2011 fine had to do with medication distribution, and another for allowing people to smoke too close to oxygen tanks. In April 2013, the home was fined for failing to conduct fingerprint background checks on new staffers.

In November, Everett Plaza was cited for not disclosing an extra $100 in monthly fees collected from a resident for at least seven years. In December, it was cited again for not properly monitoring a resident who was abusing alcohol.

The recent citations also are part of the home’s dispute resolution hearing with DSHS, set for next month.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.