Pelican Rapids Care Attendant Charged in $3,487 Theft From Vulnerable Adult

Pelican Rapids police and Otter Tail County investigators charged 52-year-old care attendant Judy Lynn Hunter after an employer alleged more than $3,000 was taken from the vulnerable adult Hunter was hired to assist. Residents who suspect financial exploitation involving home care should contact Pelican Rapids police or Otter Tail County investigators to report concerns.

According to Lakes Area Radio reporting, the checks at issue were dated April 30, 2025 - September 12, 2025 and totaled $3,487.56. The victim told investigators she discovered multiple check blanks and their carbon copies missing from her checkbook, and bank statements showed checks written to Hunter.

The victim told investigators, “She stated she has never given permission for Hunter to write checks from her checkbook.” The victim also noted discrepancies between how the contested checks were written and how she writes her own checks. A daughter of the victim told a detective that “the victim does not even let her children write out her checks,” raising questions about who had authority to prepare financial instruments for the account.

Investigators recorded two interviews with Hunter. A deputy reported Hunter “admitted to having access to the victim’s checkbook, but denied ever writing checks to herself or ever writing a check out of the checking account or checkbook.” Later, a detective reported Hunter said she “would sometimes write out checks for the victim due to the victim’s difficulty writing, and then the victim signed the checks herself. She also said the victim had memory issues.”

Fergus Now reported that a subpoena showed the checks in question were deposited into Hunter’s bank account. Hunter originally began working for the family through a formal agency; after the victim’s husband died, Hunter continued under a private agreement that covered a rate per hour for services and mileage, according to Fergus Now.

Hunter made her first court appearance Monday morning, court records referenced in reporting show, but the exact charges filed, case number, bond conditions and next court dates were not published in the accounts available. The reporting does not confirm whether Hunter was arrested and booked, or whether prosecutors filed a criminal complaint specifying statutes such as financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

The case highlights gaps that can emerge when a care attendant moves from agency oversight to a private arrangement after a spouse’s death, with checks and bank deposits now central to investigators’ evidence. Key documents that remain to be obtained for clarity include charging documents, the subpoena and bank deposit records, the private employment agreement, and any guardianship or power-of-attorney paperwork for the victim.

As the legal process continues in Otter Tail County, Pelican Rapids police and county investigators hold the financial records and interview notes cited in the allegations; resolving the case will hinge on court filings and any formal prosecutor statements that specify counts and next steps.