Owner of Assisted Living Home in Northern Colorado Arrested

The owner of an assisted living home in Colorado has been arrested for financial exploitation of elderly residents.

According to a press release from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, the owner of Timberline Lodge Assisted Living (north of Longmont), Christopher Butler, 59, was arrested after an 8-month-long investigation into his actions against residents.

Butler is being charged with 3 counts of theft over $500 from an at-risk adult, theft of less than $500 from an at-risk adult, one count of forgery, and 6 counts of fraud by check - all felony charges - with bail set at $10,000.

The investigation began in August 2015 after a resident's family member contacted the Boulder County Adult Protective service regarding her father's finances. The unidentified woman had found Butler was listed as a signer on the 83-year-old victim's bank account; Butler had been writing checks out of the victim's account and depositing funds directly into his personal account. Butler would then write checks out of his account and deposit money back into the victim's account in a process known as "kiting," a crime in which perpetrators take advantage of the time it takes for checks to clear the bank, making it appear there are sufficient funds in each account.

Detectives found over $475,000 payed by the victim to Christopher Butler between January 2009 and December 2015. BCSO says that based on the contract for services, he should have only paid approximately $273,000 during that period of time.

All residents of Timberline Lodge Assisted Living have been relocated to a safe place and family members have been contacted.

The BCSO is concerned there may be additional victims of financial crimes committed by Butler. If you have a family member living at Timberline Lodge and have concerns about their finances, please contact the Boulder County Sheriff's Office at 303-441-4444.