Former Cohasset High athlete charged with stealing from 80-year-old woman

By Brian Ballou and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

QUINCY – A one-time high school athlete from Cohasset pleaded not guilty today to charges that he repeatedly broke into the home of an 80-year-old Cohasset woman with Alzheimer’s disease and robbed her of cash and an ATM card.

Paul McCaw appeared in Quincy District Court, where bail was set at $1,500 cash, an amount a relative was preparing to post. McCaw is charged with four counts of unarmed burglary, two counts of larceny from a building, and two counts of attempt to commit a crime.

His attorney, William Sullivan, said in court that McCaw is addicted to oxycodone painkillers. He said McCaw took a leave of absence from Hobart College in central New York, where he was a member of the football team, to deal with his addiction issues.

“This is a situation that has really come to a head, forcing him to leave school,’’ Sullivan said. “He is going to have to deal [with his drug addiction] one way or the other.’’

According to Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Laura Martin, McCaw broke into the home of the same elderly Cohasset woman four times since Jan. 15. The woman is 80 years old and has Alzheimer’s disease, Martin said.

“She was basically extremely vulnerable,’’ Martin said of the woman.

He allegedly stole $30 in cash during one robbery, $40 during another robbery and an ATM card during a third.

After allegedly stealing the ATM card, Martin said McCaw tried 65 times to get cash using the ATM card, but was not successful because he did not know the woman’s PIN number.

McCaw allegedly committed at least one of the robberies with the assistance of a co-defendant who is expected to face charges. The co-defendant, whose name was not immediately available, lives across the street from the victim, officials said.

McCaw is a former Cohasset High School student where he played on both the school’s football and lacrosse teams.