Abuse Of POA To Pocket $19K Home Equity Loan Among Allegations Against Illinois Woman Accused Of Stealing Over $50K From Her 85-Year Old Dementia-Stricken Mom

In Quincy, Illinois, the Quincy-Whig reports:

• A Quincy woman who police say misused more than $50,000 of her mother's money last year will go to trial in a financial exploitation of the elderly case.
  
  Patricia A. Tipton, 58, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts [] in Adams County Circuit Court after Judge Mark Drummond found there was enough evidence to hold Tipton's case over for trial. Her case was placed on the September jury docket. If convicted, Tipton could be sentenced to between four and 15 years in prison. She would be eligible for probation, which could be for as long as 48 months.
  
  Quincy police Detective Adam Gibson, who also is the Quincy Police Department's elder services officer, testified Tuesday that he began to investigate Tipton after he received a call from Mercantile Bank in February. Gibson said a bank employee said Tipton had been depositing large sums of money from a State Street Bank account belonging to Stella J. Stinnett, 85. Gibson said Tipton is Stinnett's daughter and has had power of attorney for Stinnett since June 2011.
  
  Gibson said a review of bank records indicated that Tipton had deposited $24,000 from Stinnett's account into her account. Tipton also took out a home equity loan in Stinnett's name for $19,000, Gibson said, and numerous bills, including several credit cards and more than $4,000 in cellphone payments, were made by Tipton from Stinnett's account dating back to July 1, 2015.
  
  Gibson said he interviewed Stinnett at her home Feb. 29. Stinnett was "extremely confused" when he spoke with her, he said, and she told him she was not aware that Tipton was spending the money. Gibson said Stinnett, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2013, was certain that Tipton would not misuse her money.

For more, see Trial ordered for woman accused of misusing elderly mother's money.