Darren Pirtle: California man, 57, lived with dead roommate for 4 years, stole his ID and cashed checks
CHICO, CALIFORNIA: Darren Pirtle, a man who spent as many as four years with his dead roommate has been charged with theft and forgery. The family of late Kevin Olson, 64, were distressed after not hearing from him since October 2018, with relatives subsequently raising the alarm. Police were then given a warrant to search his home in Chico, Northern California.
In a shocking discovery, police found Darren Pirtle, 57, living with Olson's body since he died four years ago. Looking for clues about his death, poilce learned that he had stolen the identity and money from his deceased roommate. He was charged for the same, the Butte County District Attorney’s office said. Pirtle was accused of multiple counts of forgery as the Butte County Superior Court heard writing cheques from the bank account of the deceased man, Mirror reported.
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According to detectives, they found records that show Olson’s mortgage was continuously being paid. Approximately 50 payments were written to Pirtle from Olson’s name and bank account. Comparing the two signatures, officials determined that the cheques were not written or signed by Olson himself, police confirmed. Based on financial records and the condition of Olson's body, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said he possibly died in late 2018. An autopsy to determine the cause of his death has yet to be conducted. Pirtle, who is now being held with bail set at $165,000, is set to appear at the Butte County Superior Court on Thursday morning, September 28.
Olson, who was retired from the United States Navy, had been receiving retirement funds directly to his Navy Federal Credit Union account, ATI reported. Pirtle started forging checks under Olson’s name sometime around July 2019 to move funds from that account to his own.
Action News Now spoke with Olson’s neighbors who were shocked at what had transpired. They said the neighborhood was typically a quiet one, and they would rarely see anyone at Olson’s home. One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "The officer had asked me, ‘If I showed you a picture [of Olson] would you be able to identify him?’ and I said no because I’ve never seen him, really.”
Matthew Donnelly, another neighbor, saw Pirtle out walking his dog sometimes. However, he could not remember the last time he saw Olson. “It could be longer but it’s been at least a year since I’ve seen him or seen the truck move," Donnelly said. So far, police have not found any indication of foul play in his death.