Woman fleeced by 'best friend' while undergoing brain surgery
MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. - Military veteran Vicki Larkins just had brain surgery. Her speech is slow and her hair is still growing back.
But before Larkins went under the knife - or her case, a drill - to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, she asked her friend across the hall, Pamela Boyd, for a favor.
“My family's coming and I asked her if she would clean my house,” Larkins recalls. “And I would pay her back.” Larkins' family members were due to arrive to help in her recovery.
But while Larkins was recovering in the hospital, she claims Boyd trashed her apartment, stole her jewelry and took her bank card on a spending spree.
“She was making a lot of noise over here, [neighbors] couldn't figure out what she was doing, why she was making so much noise,” Larkins said.
Luckily, some of Larkins other neighbors did notice what was going on. “They had been watching her, what she'd been doing,” she said.
One neighbor who suspected Boyd was up to no good said she and a few others at the complex decided to keep an eye on her.
That neighbor even went along with Boyd to a pawn shop in Northeast Portland where she says Boyd tried to pawn a bunch of rings - after making a stop at Larkins' apartment. The neighbor alerted Larkins' family.
“I couldn't believe she'd do something like that, you know?” Larkins said. “I just said “nah, she couldn't do that. She called me her best friend!'"
Police said Boyd went beyond pawning Larkins' jewelry. Boyd is also accused of putting about a $1,000 worth of purchases on Larkins' bank card. Police said she admitted to some of those purchases but said Larkins gave her permission to pawn the items.
Larkins is now recovering, both financially and in terms of her health, while her former friend faces charges of identity theft and burglary.
“Best friends don't do that to people,” Larkins said.
She also said the surgery has helped abate some symptoms of her illness.
these types of people are known as parasites
You know, there are just so many people out there who are just evil, greedy people. They take advantage of people when they are most vulnerable. Ms. Boyd is just trash, and I hope she gets to spend a lot of time with people just like she is...in the slammer.
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To Vicki Larkins, there are still truly good people out there, it's hard sometimes to know who to trust. And it sounds like a lot of them are neighbors who were looking out for you. Best wishes for you in your recovery and in dealing with this disease.Â
Society is in decline. There was a time where the average person would never think of doing something like this. Now it seems to be the norm and honesty is a rarity.
 @RalphCramden There was a study done about 10-15 years ago where they dropped wallets all over the world with cash in them and easy contact info to get it back to the owner. The US was way down the list in honesty I think Sweden or Switzerland were the most honest returning about 80% of the wallets to the US 45%.
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Another interesting note was the richer the person who found it looked the less likely they were to return it. The thought was that maybe the $50 did not mean much to them compared to those who could really use it.
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We lucked out one time when the wife left her purse in a restaurant. The young couple that found us spent an hour finding our house to return it they were afraid the shady looking workers would not have returned it. Sadly she only had $30 in it in cash to give them they deserved much more for the time they spent to get it to us.
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There are some good people out there they are just getting harder and harder to find...
 @FreedomRocks Â
I remember that study. It also involved race and I won't mention the race that did the worst because someone will call me a racist for presenting facts they don't like.
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You are correct in that it is getting harder and harder to find honest people.
I have the most wonderful neighbors on the planet. My wife and I were in the south Pacific for a vacation and they came into out house every day and took care of the animals and made sure every thing was okay. The day we came back they had come in a cleaned up the place, picked us up at the airport and made lunch for us. They had raked all out leaves that had fallen from our very large tress and mowed the lawn.
@RalphCramden And I'm sure you would do the same for them. You're a lucky guy Ralph.
 @Kachina Â
I am a pretty lucky guy to have such wonderful neighbors. We look out after each other and help with projects.
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It really does make it a good neighborhood.
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One lady bought her house after looking at several others just because we were having an ice cream social on the day she looked at the house she decided to buy. There were about 30 of us, from 3 months old to 77 years. Liberals, conservatives, Christians, atheists, rich, poor, black, white, straight, gay, we just get together and enjoy each others company.
Best friends only go so far when it comes to money. After 45 years my best female friend just wanted to make sure that she was the recipient of my stock market investments - not even!! Greed has placed everyone one us in the cross-hairs of best friends, relatives and our own gubmint...
 @boned Yep nothing like watching your aunts and uncles rip each other to shreds over grandma's and grandpa's estate even before they are in the ground to make you realize that even family can't be always be trusted.
 @FreedomRocks  @boned Where there's a will, there's a .........big family fight.
@boned Anybody who would steal from their "best" friend or expects something from their "best" friend is not a friend at all. Sad to say there are few true friends. It seems with each successive generation there is less and less ethics and fewer and fewer morals. This country has lost its way since the"greatest generation" when a person's word was their honor and honesty and integrity were the norm. Now we have a society filled with people who refuse to accept responsibility for themselves, expect something for nothing, blame anything and everybody for their own failures, and never give a second thought about stealing and lying. Sad.
@I812
Problem is the word "friend" is the most abused word in the English language. I noticed that as a child in school. People meet someone and talk to them for an hour, they are called friends. Half the time you don't even know their last name, but are supposedly friends. My wife, (who is one of two that I call a friend) is guilty of abusing the word. "Youâre around your friends at work and Chemeketa more than me!" I try to get her to understand a bunch of mentally challenged hormone overloaded freaks are acquaintances, not friends. I don't trust any of my acquaintances any farther than I can throw them! I do trust my wife with my life, and I trust my dog with my life also,
@boned .....it is sad how the ME Generation can justify and rationalize anything. And the Internet, social media, television and radio reinforces their needs and importance and that someone has to take care of them. GOVERNMENT ,
I had a "best friend" act this way too....got my stuff back and pretty much severed ties with her. Â In her case, she is mentally ill. Â I feel sorry for her but I will not be taken advantage of. Â I am wondering if there is a problem with drugs or mental illness here, too...what "friend" would do this crap, with someone in the hospital and the holidays coming? Â I hope Larkins will have Body prosecuted. Â She probably would do it to someone else if she hasn't already.Â
From the X-Files, In the words of Fox Mulder-"Trust No One"
Totally messed up buisness here, and people are making jokes about enemas? What the hell is wrong with you?
What a horrible way to treat a veteran who served her country.I hope she has a successful recovery.
Fleeced? What did she hit her with a sweater made from sheep fur?
 @archon312 idiot
@archon312 ......STOP IT ! Have you no sensitivity or proportion?
 @Rob C 503  @archon312 Some people think they are just SOOO Funny they have to share their humor with the World!  No matter how insensitive or inappropriate it is.  It's partly KATU's fault because they let people keep their anonymity.  They should look at the Columbian's comments.  The comments on their stories are a lot more thoughtful and educated than the ones here because it shows the people's real names and photos if they are on Facebook.
 @RUFUREAL  @Rob C 503  @archon312 Then go back to the Columbian.
This is so sad! Â Vicki was at the same rehabilitation center as my grandma. Â I got to visit with her several times. Â A sweet lady working hard to get back on her feet! Â How horrible that people are so cruel. Â Wishing Vicki all the best!
With friends like that.........
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 @Gravity Works! Even if your pun were funny - which it's not - you look even more like a bonehead because you used a possessive apostrophe for a simple plural. (It's just a case of more than one "enema" which would be "enemas," or more than one "enemy" which would read "enemies.")
@Gravity Works! .....oh, big yuck.
So sad, hopefully that evil cow is out of her life for good. I hope Ms. Larkins continues to improve, Parkinson's stinks.
 @medborgare Cows are not evil. People can be evil.
Ms Larkins was indeed fortunate to have caring neighbors who watched out for her when she was unable to watch out for herself. Â Â Hard to believe that someone would rip off someone in a situation like that, but it sure seems to be happening more and more these days... I just HATE thieves!
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Best wishes to Ms Larkins for her continued recovery..!
Time to find a new "Best Friend". A dog would be best.
People...? They're just pure trouble.
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With friends like Pamela Boyd, who needs enemas?
 @Mikey huh ?
Some friend. This is right up there with the daughter ripping off her mom while she was in the hospital in a coma.
Worst kind of slime is slime that will prey on someone who is helpless. Ms. Larkins offers her some employment and extra income and this is the reward. Boyd is lower than whale dung.
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@Brownknight Whale dung is pretty darn low considering it sits on the bottom of the ocean.
 @Dirtman  @Brownknight Yeah...unless it hits a crab.
That's why they're so often crabby. ;-)
 @Mikey  @Dirtman  @Brownknight Well the ocean roars and you'd roar too if you had crabs.
I wish her a speedy recovery. I wouldn't trust anyone though with my bank card, or any other "card". Call me paranoid, but I doubt I'd trust anyone while undergoing a major surgery.
 @pdxd It was probably in her apartment.
Not paranoid, just smart!
"âBest friends don't do that to people,â Larkins said." Well, a wise man once said "you can trust your enemys, but don't trust your friends. You know what your enemys want, your friends wait to screw you till you're down."
I hope you recover quickly, Vicki, and I hope that pos gets hers in the end. It takes a REAL SPECIAL POS to do that to someone unable to defend herself.
Mugshot of the evil snake...
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http://convicted.me/oregon/multnomah-county-jail/inmate/pamela-jean-boyd-115728
 @Dirtman She looks like alcoholism and/or drugs are running her life.
@Dirtman I bet it was drugs.People who are desperate will steal from their own family members to get their fix.
 @noneofyourbizzness  @Dirtman At 5' 7" and 178 pounds, it could also be junk food that drove her to it.
@Dirtman @noneofyourbizzness Maybe she needed the extra money to stock up on Twinkies and Ho Ho's....
 @Dirtman ~  Oh what a charming-looking citizen she is...   (s/o)
 @Dirtman Bigtime skank.
I checked out some other photos on that site and came across this loser who was arrested for attempted murder:
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http://convicted.me/oregon/multnomah-county-jail/inmate/edward-b-franklin-113629
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It appears that his intended murder victim fought back vigorously.