California trio allegedly tried to take woman at Olympia home

Three people drove a stolen Lexus from California to Olympia in an attempt to recover a dementia-stricken family member without her nursing home’s permission, court papers state.

The three were being held Tuesday at the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of first-degree custodial interference and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Margaret Palato, 52, one of the elderly woman’s daughters, was being held with bail set at $5,000. Daniel Reyes, 18, and Rafael Reyes, 41, each were being held with bail set at $2,500.

According to court papers:

Staffers at the Providence Mother Joseph Care Center on Ensign Road called police after the family members put the woman in the car and drove away without permission.

After an Olympia police officer pulled over the Lexus, the elderly woman’s legal guardian, a daughter who lives in Olympia, was contacted. She said the California family members had been trying to take advantage of the woman.

The guardian said she had moved the woman to Olympia because the family members “were taking advantage of her finances and not taking care of her.”

Olympia police ran the vehicle identification number on the Lexus and learned it had been reported stolen from a Los Angeles automobile dealership.

The elderly woman is considered “a vulnerable adult due to being in a full dementia state,” the papers state.

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