A trial date of March 12th has been set for former Joliet Fire Chief Joseph Drick and his wife Cheri Drick. The two are accused of stealing about 200 thousand dollars from the bank accounts of the late Gladys Farrington. The Dricks had struck up a friendship with the elderly woman after offering her a ride on a winter morning. The couple alledgedly used Farrington’s money for various personnal expenses. Farrington died in the summer of 2005.

The Dricks allegedly began using the money in February 2003, shortly after Cheri Drick obtained power of attorney over Gladys Farrington’s financial affairs, prosecutors said. Seven days after gaining power of attorney, a $57,000 account was closed, then states attorney Jeff Tomczak said. The money was then deposited into an account for Drick Educational Services, which is a company that Joseph Drick ran.