Oakdale senior home housekeeper fired, charged after hidden camera catches theft

OAKDALE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A housekeeper at The Waters of Oakdale senior living facility has been fired after a hidden camera captured them stealing from a resident. 

The Waters resident noticed $700 missing. Her son launched a plan.

The backstory:

In early November, Sandi Gudahl, who lives at The Waters of Oakdale senior living facility in Oakdale, noticed about $700 missing from her apartment. She suspected a housekeeper, which prompted her son, Boyd Gudahl, to install a hidden camera that looks like a phone charger in her bedroom. 

He planted a purse filled with movie prop cash and waited to see what the camera recorded. When he reviewed the video, he watched as a housekeeper walked into his mother’s apartment and rifled through the purse and another bag in a nightstand, taking $50 in bogus cash.

Gudahl shared the video with Oakdale police, who launched an investigation. According to court documents, the housekeeper, Kathleen Shepard, 59, of Oakdale, admitted to stealing the money and blamed her gambling addiction. She now faces a second-degree burglary charge, a felony that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

What they're saying:

"Did she think that I might have needed that money?" asked Gudahl, 80. "Did she take that into account?"

Her son said he hopes she is held accountable.

"Ten years in prison, $20,000 fine. I hope she gets the maximum," he said of the potential penalties.

In a statement on Tuesday, the senior facility said, in part: "We are saddened that this happened to the resident. Immediately upon learning of this incident, we partnered with law enforcement and conducted a thorough investigation. The employee was then terminated."

When reached by phone Tuesday night, Shepard had no comment.