Owatonna woman charged with financial exploitation
Published 9:57 pm Wednesday, October 11, 2017
An Owatonna woman who allegedly stole more than $9,000 over nearly eight months from a woman she knew was charged last month in Freeborn County District Court.
Dolores Tritle, 53, is charged with two counts of felony financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Her first appearance on the charges was Wednesday.
Court documents state Tritle was charged after a detective received a referral for investigation on a case involving potential financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult on June 29.
The alleged victim had reportedly lived at a local nursing home since November and needed 24-hour care. Tritle had been named the woman’s power of attorney.
Court documents state 16 withdrawals from the alleged victim’s account that corresponded with deposits into Tritle’s account from November to July totaled more than $9,000.
Tritle reportedly provided no documentation to support the need for the withdrawals at the time the court document was filed and refused to respond to requests made by the Department of Human Services and law enforcement.
Court documents state bank records do not have any obvious withdrawals that could correspond with upkeep or home repairs, and no payments were made to the nursing home for the private pay portion of the alleged victim’s placement at the time Tritle was charged.
District Court Judge Steven Schwab set conditional bail at $10,000. Tritle was not in custody as of Wednesday morning.
Tritle’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 19.
Financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.