A Harmony woman accused of spending more than $39,000 from her elderly father’s bank account was placed on probation for five years.
Debra Ann Hebrink, 69, must also pay $10,001 to repay the loss, with payments of at least $25 a month, under a court order filed September 22. The judge delayed a final decision on two felony counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. If Hebrink completes probation successfully, those counts will be dismissed.
The court dismissed four other charges, including a felony theft-by-swindle charge. Hebrink had faced six felony charges in all.
The order requires Hebrink to follow the law and stay in contact with her probation officer. She must get permission before leaving Minnesota, Iowa or Wisconsin.
The complaint said the case began after the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office received a report on January 7, 2025, from the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center. The report said money belonging to Hebrink’s father might be misused. Fillmore County Social Services also joined the investigation.
Hebrink’s father sold his home in June 2022 for $169,000. The money went into his bank account, according to the complaint. He rented the home from its new owner until moving to Harmony Place assisted living in May 2024. After he moved, investigators saw a sharp increase in spending that did not match his past use of the account.
Bank records showed about $11,195.50 in cash withdrawals from April 2024 through January 2, 2025, the complaint said. Investigators also found cash deposits of similar amounts in Hebrink’s personal bank account. Hebrink told investigators the money was for her living expenses. She said she could not work and had only Social Security income.
The complaint also listed payments for Hebrink’s car insurance and repairs, restaurant meals, convenience store purchases and expenses for family members. Hebrink told investigators she used $1,782.81 from the account to buy a bed for her adult son. She also said she used $4,455 to pay for her granddaughter’s braces, according to the complaint.
Investigators met with Hebrink on January 21, 2025. They told her that, as her father’s power of attorney, she was responsible for keeping receipts to show how his money was spent. She replied, “Well, nobody told me that I need to keep every little bitty receipt,” the complaint said.
Investigators and a social worker met with her father six days later. He said he had short-term memory loss and could not remember much about his finances. He told them he did not know about the payments for the granddaughter’s braces. When asked about a bed purchase, he said, “I don’t know nothing about that,” according to the complaint. He also said he did not know Hebrink was using his money to pay her rent.
The complaint said the account was empty by December 2024. Hebrink’s father then had to apply for help paying rent at Harmony Place.
The charges covered two periods: April 4 through October 4, 2024, and October 5, 2024, through January 2, 2025. Investigators said the purchases totaled $39,207.75.
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