A Bay Shore woman who worked as an aide for mentally disabled adults was arrested Thursday accused of stealing the identity of a patient and going on a spending spree , Suffolk County police said . For 21 years , Noreen Hanney , 38 , of 1653 N. Thompson Drive , worked as a house manager for Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities , Inc. ( ACLD ) , police said . Detectives said the position allowed Hanney the access to the personal identities and banking information of the people living at the group home , located at 77 Vanderbuilt Blvd . in Oakdale . Between June and September of 2012 , police said Hanney used the debit card information of one of the mentally disabled residents and made several monthly payments on her 2008 Toyota Highlander . She also allegedly purchased airline tickets for a personal flight to Florida and withdrew cash multiple times at ATM machines , detectives said . Sometimes she would use the [ debit ] card and sometimes just the number , said Det . Sgt . Mark Pulaski of the Suffolk police identity theft unit . He said in her job capacity , Hanney had access to the debit card number and ATM pin code . She was the caregiver for the mentally challenged people in the home . Their expenses had to be supplied and accounted for if they received federal and state monies , he said . After the victim realized that more than $ 3,000 had gone missing from their bank account , Pulaski said the person reached out up the chain of command at the non - profit agency . The agency subsequently notified police on Oct. 9 , he said . Juliette McKenna , the director of development and community relations for the agency , said her organization discovered the theft using internal controls , and immediately notified police after noticing the alleged theft . McKenna said Hanney had access to the personal information of residents as part of her job , because most of the residents in the group home had limited capacity to understand and manage their finances . She said the agency conducted an internal investigation , which reflected that no other misconduct has occurred . After the police department was notified , Hanney abruptly quit her job , McKenna said . It was at that point in October 2012 , that she began working at the Association for Children with Down Syndrome ( ACDS ) in Plainview , according to a police news release . An organization spokesman said he believed the incident had nothing to do with ACDS . Pulaski said that during the investigation , police conducted extensive surveillance operations on this subject . The investigation yielded Hanneys arrest on Thursday at her home in Bay Shore . She was charged with first - degree identity theft and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at First District Court in Central Islip . Pulaski said based on the nature of Hanneys job and her access to sensitive information , detectives are asking anyone who may be a victim to call the Identity Theft Unit at 631 - 852 - 6821 . An investigation remains ongoing . ;