A 52-year-old Dunnellon woman has been charged by sheriff’s detectives with reportedly swindling a woman out of thousands of dollars, and allegedly was positioning herself to inherit thousands more.
Sherry Lynn Hayes-Luzander was booked into the county jail on Feb. 11, charged with crimes against person/exploitation of elderly/$50,000 or more. Jail records show Hayes-Luzander was released the next day after posting a $5,000 bond.
Locally, Hayes-Luzander does not have a criminal record.
Victim’s family express concern
Detectives Nicholas Austin and Richard Mead of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigated a report where the family of an elderly woman believed she had been removed from an assisted living facility.
Family members said it appears Hayes-Luzader added her name to the victim’s bank account and was assisting the victim with signing bank documents. The family was concerned about the victim because she has dementia, according to the report.
Mead was told the victim’s daughter has power of attorney and, due to the victim’s mental condition, she would need long-term memory care and is unable to make financial or legal decisions.