NORWICH – The Norwich City Police Department charged a woman Monday with several crimes, claiming she conned the elderly and stole debit cards.

Police arrested 37-year-old Thendara L. Hyder, also known by the last name Hartwell, and she was remanded by the Norwich City Court to the Chenango County Correctional Facility in lieu of $20,000 cash bail.

Deputy Chief Rodney Marsh said Hyder was a suspect in three different ongoing investigations and was charged in connection to the cases after police received information from the Public Defender’s Hotline at 336-8477.

Police Chief Joseph Angelino said the acts occurred between September and November. “These activities took place over the course of months and this is only what we know about,” he said.

According to Marsh, Hyder went door-to-door at a local senior housing center, soliciting donations for causes she didn’t represent or that didn’t exist.

“At the end of October to the beginning of November, she was going room to room collecting for school programs – the PTA and other fundraisers – showing the victims catalogs and offering them fake receipts for their orders,” said Marsh.

He added that the catalogs allegedly used in the scheme were actually expired material her children had brought home from school earlier in the year.

“Obviously though after taking the money, she just kept it for herself,” said Marsh.