Preston, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester woman has been ordered to pay more than $16,500 in restitution following her second conviction for financially exploiting a vulnerable adult.

Forty-nine-year-old Buffy Jo Bathke was prosecuted in Fillmore County for stealing money from a vulnerable adult she met while working for a company that provides residential and in-home services to people with disabilities. According to the criminal complaint, Bathke worked with the victim for about four years through her employment before becoming the person’s legal guardian.

The Former Preston Woman Was Convicted of Felony Theft Connected to the Same Investigation Two Years Ago.

The Preston Police Department began investigating Bathke three years ago after receiving a report from the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center. The report alleged that Bathke, who previously lived in Preston, made “impermissible purchases” from the victim’s checking account totaling $16,511.44 between May 15, 2015, and August 2021.

AVNphotolab. Getty Images

Bathke was charged with felony counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult and theft by swindle. She later entered a plea agreement, admitting to the financial exploitation charge in exchange for the dismissal of the theft charge. On Monday, she was sentenced to five years on probation and ordered to pay restitution.

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The same police investigation led to Bathke’s conviction involving a different vulnerable adult in 2023. In that case, she pleaded guilty to felony theft by swindle and was sentenced to two years of probation, with restitution set at $3,500.

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