ALBERT LEA, Minn. - A woman is pleading guilty to exploiting her disabled mother.
Michelle Renee Dawes, 34 of Lincoln, Illinois, and formerly of Albert Lea, entered a guilty plea Thursday to one count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a gross misdemeanor. She had originally been charged with felony criminal neglect.
Court documents state Dawes’ mother was homebound after suffering a brain injury and when police visited her home in September 2017, officers said Dawes’ 68-year-old mother weighed just 81 pounds and a medical exam found she was suffering from severe malnutrition, anemia, and heart failure.
Police say Dawes was living with her mother at the time and that there were multiple purchases and withdrawals from the mother’s bank account which were not made by Dawes’ mother.
A sentencing hearing is set for March 19.
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