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Man accused of stealing from disabled

By Times Staff Writer
Published March 3, 2005

TAMPA - The disabled adults at McDonald Training Center trusted Corey Jermaine King to help them find jobs and survive in the working world.

But police say King, 31, used his job to steal money from two elderly men.

"These are disabled adults who trusted him and depended on him," Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said. "He exploited them."

An employee at the center alerted police to her suspicions about King in January, McElroy said. Police have been investigating since then. They arrested him Tuesday on two felony counts of exploiting a disabled adult, one count of grand theft and one count of petty theft.

He posted $6,250 bail and was released from the county jail Wednesday morning. McElroy said King works as a coach at the training center, which provides workshops and job placement for physically or mentally challenged adults.

Detectives say Gerald Jackson, a 67-year-old man with cerebral palsy, gave King a $500 check and deposit slip and asked King to deposit it for him.

"The suspect deposited the money into his pocket," McElroy said.

King also persuaded William Woods, a 62-year-old mentally challenged man, to open a debit account, police said.

"King took the ATM card and used it," McElroy said. "He was spending this victim's money."

State criminal records show King was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of writing worthless checks in 1997, but the case was dismissed. In 2002, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office arrested him on a battery charge. That case was dismissed too.

[Last modified March 3, 2005, 01:00:10]