Woman appears in court in financial exploitation case

CALEDONIA — A La Crescent woman accused of spending nearly $5,000 of someone else's money made her first appearance Wednesday in Houston County District Court.

Linda Thesing, 61, faces four counts of felony financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. She's been released on her own recognizance and is due back in court Aug. 4.

The investigation began in March, when Houston County Human Services received a report about possible maltreatment of an elderly man with dementia.

The man was in jeopardy of being evicted from the care facility where he lived; Thesing, who was responsible for his finances, "was intentionally ignoring correspondence," the complaint says.

Thesing met with law enforcement officials and a social worker in April, and reportedly told them procrastination and a lack of experience were the reasons she wasn't taking care of things.

According to court documents, Thesing said she "had no good reason (to spend the money). It was stupid and I didn't even need it."

A total of $4,365 was spent from April 2014 to April 2015.

Each of the counts carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.

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Woman appears in court in financial exploitation case