Health care worker gets 45-day term for exploitation

A Minneapolis woman convicted of taking advantage of a Rochester woman she provided home health care for has been sentenced to 45 days in jail and restitution.

Danielle Marie Johnson, 31, was charged in September 2013 in Olmsted County District Court with financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult and theft, both felonies; and pawning the property of another, a misdemeanor.

She pleaded guilty in October 2014 to the exploitation count; in exchange for the plea, the two others were dismissed. Johnson was sentenced Thursday.

The victim, a quadriplegic, suffers from lung disease and mental health issues, according to court documents.

The woman reported the theft of some of her jewelry in June 2013, telling police she had last seen the jewelry in May. The woman said in March that she got out of the shower and saw Johnson standing near an open drawer where her jewelry was kept, according to the criminal complaint.

The investigator spoke with Johnson's employer, who said he'd contacted Johnson to discuss the missing jewelry. She didn't show up at their meeting, hadn't gone to any other clients' homes and had not returned his phone calls, the report says.

When an officer ran Johnson's name through the pawn system to see if she'd recently pawned anything, it revealed she'd pawned three items in April 2013 at Pawn America in Rochester, according to the complaint.

The woman recognized photos from the pawn shop of both Johnson and the items, the report says, and said she'd not given Johnson permission to take the jewelry, which was valued at $5,640.

The signatures from the pawn shop and Johnson's drivers license also matched, the complaint says.

In addition to jail and 10 years of probation, Johnson was ordered to pay a total of $4,560 in fines and restitution.

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Health care worker gets 45-day term for exploitation