Cartersville Woman Facing 43 Charges Related to Foundation to Assist Developmentally Challenged

A Cartersville woman has been arrested and charged for crimes against the elderly and disabled.

Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap said Tuesday that 42-year-old Misty Dawn Baynard of Cartersville was arrested and charged with 42 counts of Theft by Taking (Fiduciary) and one county of exploitation of an elder or disabled person after an investigation by the office. Authorities say she took more than $45,000 from the organization between July 2019 and May 2020.

The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office had been conducting a forensic audit of financial documentation for the Good Shepherd Foundation of Bartow county, Inc. Board of Directors. The entity is a sheltered work center for the developmentally challenged adults in the community. Clients of the organization ‘take pride in their work, and only the highest quality of work is produced for their customers,’ according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Baynard was previously employed as the Director of the Good Shepherd Foundation at the time of the alleged theft.

She is currently being held in the Bartow County Adult Detention Center, pending a bond hearing before the Bartow County Magistrate Judge.