Newry couple accused of stealing from elderly family member heading to trial
Pair accused of bilking elderly family member out of finances
David Dickman
Melissa Dickman
David Dickman
Melissa Dickman
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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The Newry couple accused of bilking an elderly family member out of her home and more than half a million dollars in 2022 is heading to trial after the defense and prosecution have failed to agree on the amount of restitution owed.
David Scott, 50, and Melissa Marie Dickman, 48, are facing three felony counts of theft and a single felony count of endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person for whom they are responsible. Melissa Dickman was charged with an additional count of endangerment.
David and Melissa Dickman appeared for a trial list review hearing Thursday morning before Judge Louis C. Schmitt Jr. alongside their respective defense attorneys Kristen Anastasi and Bryce Dunio, who asked for a continuance in the cases to the next trial list review date in October.
Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks objected to the request, telling Schmitt that the case was old and needed to be put on the schedule for jury selection.
"There has been no real effort to pay restitution in any meaningful way," Weeks said. "And the restitution is astronomical."
When Schmitt asked Weeks how much the Dickmans are estimated to owe the victim, Weeks said more than $600,000.
Anastasi argued that there were "clear indications" on some of the checks that they were made out for the benefit of the victim and they were still in the process of trying to determine what was spent for the victim's care and what was stolen. She said they were asking for a continuance until October to review those checks.
Weeks again objected, saying the DA's office had made offers of probation in the case that were rejected and if the cases were to be tried, he wanted to do so.
"The delays in the case mean the victim will never be made whole," Weeks said.
Schmitt ultimately scheduled the Dickmans for jury selection on Nov. 19, but encouraged the parties involved to continue working toward a resolution before then.
The Dickmans have remained free on bail since August 2025, when Senior Judge Timothy M. Sullivan granted requests to modify their bails from monetary to unsecured.
The Dickmans' case stems from a long investigation involving police from Blair, Freedom and Allegheny townships -- where the alleged theft and endangerment was suspected to have taken place. The police report stated that after the victim suffered a stroke in April 2014, she needed help in her home, so the Dickmans and their daughter moved in. The Dickmans had insisted they take over her finances as well.
When the victim's husband passed away, the Dickmans were adamant they would be her power of attorney, the victim told police.
With complete control over her finances, the victim said the Dickmans would not tell her how the money was managed or spent, so she relied on them to take care of her. In March 2019, the victim realized her previously substantial finances were depleted, according to court documents.
As police traced activity on all of the victim's accounts, they found the victim's assets from other accounts were transferred regularly to her primary account. The primary account showed a zero balance as of Dec. 28, 2018, when it was closed. The investigation indicates the Dickmans spent the victim's money and disbursed her assets "to their own benefit and to the benefit of others," according to the criminal affidavit.
The police reported the total amount of money that passed through the victim's primary account was about $919,049.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.