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A Utah woman is facing criminal charges after police said she drained her mother's bank account and locked the elderly woman inside their home with chains on the doors.
Salt Lake County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Karen R. Stevens, 68, of Sandy, with one count each of second-degree felony exploitation of a vulnerable adult and class A misdemeanor abuse of a vulnerable adult.
The charges carry possible punishments of up to 15 years in prison and one year in jail, respectively.
A judge has issued a summons ordering Stevens to appear in 3rd District Court on Aug. 17.
Court papers say Stevens' mother, Ramona Migliacco, wandered into a Sandy auto dealership in May looking for help. The 88-year-old woman, who was wearing only a bathrobe, told an employee she had been chased out of her home after an argument with her daughter, whom she feared might hurt her.
Officers called to aid Migliacco found three cashier's checks in the woman's purse — each made out to Stevens — for an amount totaling more than $126,000. The checks had been drawn from Migliacco's savings account.
Magliacco told police she didn't know what the checks were for and had not given her daughter permission to take the money, court papers say.
Migliacco moved in with her daughter in January because she was suffering from dementia and her health was in decline. Court papers say Stevens claimed she took the money so that Migliacoo could qualify for Medicaid.
Stevens told police she did not want her mother returned home and that they had argued because Migliacco would not say she appreciated her daughter's support or care.
Court papers say police had previously warned Stevens not to chain the doors of her residence shut to prevent her mother from leaving.