Man ordered to pay nursing home bill

June 29--A Rochester man accused of not paying the nursing home bill for a woman in his care has agreed to pay off the bill, which totals more than $8,900.

Douglas Craig Munson, 57, pleaded guilty in March to one count of felony financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. In exchange, an identical count was dismissed at Monday's sentencing. Olmsted County District Court Judge Pamela King placed him on five years supervised probation.

Munson received a stay of adjudication; he pleaded guilty, but the court didn't "accept" the plea. When probation and its conditions are successfully completed, the charges are dismissed, and the defendant's criminal record doesn't reflect a conviction. The arrest record remains.

The investigation began in 2014, when it was determined the victim's bill at a licensed care facility in Rochester hadn't been paid for 10 months. The woman had signed a power of attorney, appointing Munson as her attorney-in-fact, making him responsible for her affairs, the complaint says.

In addition, Munson wasn't paying for the victim's prescriptions.

A review of the checking account the two shared revealed Munson was withdrawing more money than he was depositing, court documents say, while living rent-free at the victim's residence.

According to the investigator's reports, Munson used about $8,900 of the woman's money for his personal use, and had also taken out two loans totaling nearly $14,400.

The fines and restitution he must repay total $9,891.

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