Woman Pleads Guilty to Taking $82,000 From Elderly Relative

TACOMA (AP) — A Puyallup woman has pleaded guilty to stealing over $82,000 from her husband's grandfather who has dementia.

The Pierce County Prosecutor's Office says 37-year-old Jessica Sellers pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight counts of theft from a vulnerable adult in the case involving Ralph Penz.

Sellers volunteered to serve as power of attorney for Penz in 2006 after he was diagnosed with dementia.

Prosecutors say Sellers lied to family members about how much his home sold for. She and her husband then bought items ranging from cars to guns to vacations with money from Penz's account.

Sellers' guilty pleas include the aggravating circumstances that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that her actions constitute an abuse of trust.

Sellers is scheduled to be sentenced in November.