$25,000 stolen from 95-year-old in assisted living facility

HUDSON (FOX 13) - At 95-years-old, life has slowed down for Gerald Tetrault, but it's far from a complete stop. He still loves driving his own car to the local flea markets. 

"To finish my days out, I figured a nice car would be ideal for me," Tetrault said.

He wanted a shiny new Nissan, so he went to the bank and took out cash. He was storing the money in his closet inside the Atria Park at Bay Pointe Village assisted living facility.

But before he could buy his new car, someone stole his $25,000.

"Well I said, 'Jesus Christmas, my money is gone! What am I going to do," he said. "I couldn't believe it was gone. I searched this room from one end to the other, three times," he added.

Detectives from Pasco County are looking into the theft.

"There's a lot of people with access to rooms. We're going to have to speak to a lot of the employees," said Detective Daniel Cobianco.

The good news for Gerald, the monetary loss won't threaten his stay at the facility.  It does raise a number of concerns, though for the World War II veteran.

"Stealing from somebody that's 95 or in a place like this, where everyone is the same age or over, it's not a good idea," he said. "Their life is going to be ruined, they're going to be arrested, and jeeze, I hate to see that," he told FOX 13.

Anyone with information on the stolen money should contact the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.